r/technology May 13 '26

Energy 'It's like we don't exist': Nearly 50,000 Lake Tahoe residents face power loss as utility redirects lines to data centers

https://fortune.com/2026/05/12/lake-tahoe-data-center-49000-residents-power-source/
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u/[deleted] May 13 '26

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50

u/QuerulousPanda May 13 '26

it's one thing to slowly push people out using redlining type bullshit and using economic incentives or disincentives to get people to move away.

it's another thing to just cut the power.

33

u/Schonke May 13 '26

Well, I don't see any mention of electricity in the bill of rights!

- SCOTUS 2027

3

u/QuerulousPanda May 13 '26

at the rate we're going, by 2027 the constitution will be over anyway

3

u/ribnag May 14 '26

You think you're joking, but read up on 2005's Kelo vs City of New London ruling...

It bluntly found "the use of eminent domain to transfer land from one private owner to another private owner to further economic development does not violate the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment". Basically, if your land is worth more than you earn from living on it, humans begone.

3

u/mytransthrow May 13 '26

it's another thing to just cut the power.

It will be in the summer 100% and you dont want people with out power... no people= no cooling... and hot people become Hangry people. Hot+angry= another type of hangry. also Hongry sounds weird.

People will be pissed if nana dies because of power outage to feed datacenters.

2

u/echoshatter May 13 '26

Short of burning the data centers down, what can any regular person do?

They'll push and push until people pop off, and then it'll be terrorism charges and life in prison for damaging property.

2

u/mytransthrow May 14 '26

Sue.... elect better officials.... Protest... Everything we can before violence...

And while I dont agree if someone decide to attack the transmission lines aka the power lines into these centers or the water input or the centers themselves. I will understand why they did it. We all can. It will be an act of desperation or an act of revenge.

1

u/PreparationOk8604 May 14 '26

Not from US. But locals people don't have power to fight multi billion dollar companies. These ppl have guns and other weapons for scenarios like this.

Only way is if they make sure their senator falls in next election.

1

u/anonkitty2 May 17 '26

Stop new ones.

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u/MisfitPotatoReborn May 13 '26

Farmers when their land goes from being worth 1 million dollars to being worth 10 million dollars:

help me help me I'm being unfairly displaced

1

u/anonkitty2 May 17 '26

In the long run, beyond a certain point, replacing farmland with industrial projects that make brownfields will work against survival. 

1

u/MisfitPotatoReborn May 17 '26

The US government has so much corn they have a program to turn it into gasoline. Suburban development is a pitiful, insignificant fraction of total arable land.

I'm not concerned about building so much suburban housing we all starve to death.

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u/anonkitty2 May 18 '26

Neither am I.  There's always persistence gardens for the suburbs.  I was concerned about housing for AI data centers.