Christine O'C

🚫No DMs or Crypto. Catholic. @michiganstateu alumna. Former Alpine Ski Coach & Auto Marketer. Nerd. Labradood Mom. Married 2 @doconnell33. ✝️🇺🇸💚🎿🚙🤓🐾

[0️⃣BlackBetty ⚓️ @BabyD1111229]

THE GOVERNMENT JUST PROPOSED BREAKING UP AMERICA’S LARGEST ELECTRICITY GRID — AND AI DATA CENTERS ARE DIRECTLY TO BLAME!

This story dropped two days ago — June 4, 2026 — and it may be the single most important data center story ever published. Because it is not about one community. It is not about one state. It is not about one billionaire.

It is about the electricity grid that powers 67 million Americans — from Illinois to New Jersey, from Virginia to Ohio — being pushed so far past its limits by AI data centers that the federal government is now seriously considering breaking it apart entirely.

This has never happened before. In nearly 100 years of American electricity history, nothing like this has ever been proposed.

And the reason it is being proposed is sitting in a data center near you right now.

⚡ WHAT IS PJM — AND WHY SHOULD YOU CARE?

Most Americans have never heard of PJM Interconnection. But every person living in 13 states depends on it for electricity every single day.

PJM Interconnection manages the web of power lines that runs electricity from the Illinois prairie to the Jersey Shore — serving 67 million people across 13 states. It coordinates which power plants run, when they run, and how power flows across the grid to reach your home, your hospital, your school, and your workplace. It has done this for nearly a century. It is the largest electricity grid operator in the United States. And right now — it is breaking. 

PJM is not a government agency. It is not a public utility. It is a nonprofit organization that manages the grid on behalf of utilities, power companies, and ultimately — you. The electricity you used this morning to make coffee passed through PJM’s system. The air conditioner keeping you cool right now is running on PJM’s grid.

And the federal government just said: it may need to be broken up. Because of data centers.

💥 THE PRICE SPIKE THAT STUNNED EVEN THE EXPERTS

The numbers tell the story better than any words can. PJM uses a system called capacity auctions to guarantee that enough power plants will be available to meet demand. In 2024, the price of that guarantee was $28.92 per megawatt-day. By 2026, that price had risen to $329.17 per megawatt-day. That is not a typo. That is an increase of more than ten times — in two years. One auction alone added an estimated $9.4 billion in costs — translating to an 82% jump in expenses for consumers. The Natural Resources Defense Council projects that cumulative extra consumer costs could reach between $100 billion and $163 billion through 2033. 

$163 billion. Taken from the pockets of 67 million Americans. Over the next seven years. Because data centers are consuming electricity faster than the grid can supply it.

In plain English — what this means on your actual bill: DC residents saw Pepco bills rise about $10 per month from the latest capacity auction. Western Maryland faces roughly $18 more per month. Ohio about $16 more per month. And the Trump administration estimates a PJM-wide average hit of 15% versus the pre-AI baseline — meaning before AI data centers started consuming the grid, your bill was 15% lower than it is today. And it is going higher. 

$16 more per month in Ohio. $18 more in Maryland. Starting June 1, 2026 — this month. Right now.

EVEN PJM’S OWN CEO SAYS IT IS “NOT TENABLE”

PJM’s own chief executive officer — the man who runs America’s largest electricity grid — has publicly stated that the current situation is “not tenable,” saying his organization can no longer ensure ample future electricity supplies while shielding residential consumers from rising bills. That is the CEO of the grid admitting, on the record, that he cannot do his job anymore because of AI data center demand. 

The CEO of the grid. Saying he cannot guarantee both affordable electricity AND reliable electricity at the same time. Because the data centers are consuming too much.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has threatened to pull Pennsylvania out of PJM entirely — which would be a catastrophic fragmentation of the eastern United States’ electricity system. American Electric Power — one of the largest utilities in PJM’s territory — has threatened to leave and merge into a different grid. Even PJM’s own board members have been voted out amid the chaos. The CEO announced his departure. The chair of the board of managers was removed. 

The CEO gone. Board members voted out. Pennsylvania threatening to leave. A major utility threatening to defect to a different grid.

The largest electricity system in America is fracturing. In real time. Because of AI data centers.

🏛️ WHAT “BREAKING UP PJM” ACTUALLY MEANS

Federal officials have suggested breaking up PJM Interconnection — splitting the 13-state grid into smaller regional systems. The proposals on the table range from aggressive to radical. On the aggressive end: emergency procurement of around 15 gigawatts of backup capacity — a massive safety net to prevent blackouts. On the radical end: completely restructuring how PJM works, possibly splitting it into separate grid operators for different regions — effectively ending the unified eastern grid that has existed for nearly 100 years. 

Ending the unified eastern grid. That has existed for 100 years. Because Amazon and Microsoft and Meta need more electricity for their AI servers.

President Trump — alongside the governors of several states — has called for a new electricity auction in which tech companies would pay for building new power plants by bidding on 15-year electric capacity contracts. In other words: if your data center is consuming this much electricity, you pay for the power plant that generates it. Not the 81-year-old widow in Hampton, Virginia. Not the family in Ohio already $16 deeper in the hole every month. You. 

Make the tech companies pay for the power plants their data centers require. That is Trump’s proposal. And for once — on this one specific point — many Americans across the political spectrum agree with him.

💰 THE $16 BILLION BILL THAT LANDED THIS MONTH

When PJM purchased capacity for 2026-2027 and discovered the true scale of data center demand — the result was a capacity bill of $16 billion for a single year. That $16 billion increase was almost entirely due to forecasted data center expansion. And that $16 billion does not sit with Amazon or Microsoft or Meta. It flows through the utility system — and lands on your electricity bill. Every month. Starting now. 

$16 billion. This year. From one auction. For one year of the PJM grid. Caused almost entirely by data centers. Paid by 67 million Americans who never voted for a single data center to be built.

PJM’s own market monitor has raised serious alarms about the data center demand forecasts being fed into the system — saying plainly: “Forecast data center load growth has been the primary cause to date and the accuracy of those forecasts is highly questionable.” In other words: the data centers promised they would need X amount of electricity. The grid planned for X. And now it turns out the real number is far higher than X. And the grid cannot handle it. And consumers are paying the difference. 

The data centers overpromised. The grid overcommitted. The consumers are paying for the gap.

🗓️ WHAT HAPPENS NEXT — AND WHEN

PJM’s own projections now show that the region will not meet required power reserves starting in June 2027 — just 12 months from now. That means if nothing changes, 67 million Americans will be living on an electricity grid that does not have enough power to meet peak demand. The shortfall is driven by a slow replacement of retiring power plants and rising demand from data centers. PJM’s June 2026 auction — happening this month — for the 2028/2029 delivery year is the next major pricing signal. Whatever it shows will determine just how high your bill will go in two years. 

June 2027. 12 months away. America’s largest electricity grid projected to be short on power. For 67 million people. In the middle of what is already shaping up to be the hottest decade in recorded history.

🗣️ THE BOTTOM LINE

This is the story that connects every other story in this series.

The dry wells in Indiana. The trailer park families in Kentucky. The 81-year-old widow who can’t pay her bill in Virginia. The Georgia data center that secretly drank 29 million gallons of water. The farmers leaving fields unplanted in Arizona. The children getting sick near facilities in North Carolina. The nuclear plants being bought up. The farmland being bulldozed. The shell companies with ridiculous names.

All of it flows into this one fact:

America’s largest electricity grid — the backbone of the power system for 67 million Americans — is being pushed so hard by AI data centers that the federal government is now discussing breaking it apart. The CEO of the grid says it is not tenable. The governor of Pennsylvania is threatening to walk away. A major utility is threatening to defect.

And the June electricity bill increase — $9.4 billion more across the system, paid by you — landed in accounts on June 1st. This month. Already.

Share this with every person who lives in these 13 states: Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina. They are all on this grid. They are all paying this bill. They all deserve to know why.

🎩 The Stoic Way

📌 Source: Bloomberg — “AI Data Center Boom Risks Breakup of Biggest US Power Grid Operator” (June 4, 2026 — TWO DAYS AGO)

[Carlos Whittaker @loswhit]

I drove to 648 Grassmere Park to see it for myself.
I had no idea what was about to be built 50 yards from the @nashvillezoo.
A data center. Right against the treeline where the animals my kids grew up visiting are kept.
I’m not anti-technology…
The phone you’re reading this on is tied to one of these somewhere. We all live in this now.
But here’s the thing nobody’s telling you: a low hum doesn’t stop at a wall. It goes right through it. And the zoo’s own CEO says it’d sit 50 yards from animals they’ve spent decades trying to protect and breed.
No study. No rules. No vote. Just a rushed permit.
You don’t have to hate the future to say: not like this.
The petition’s in my bio. Takes 10 seconds.
Right now, 10 seconds is the whole fight. 🐆

[DataRepublican (small r) @DataRepublican]

Turns out that @LeaderJohnThune was totally projecting when he said the SAVE Act was an influencer campaign.

Senator John Thune is compromised by a company that literally exists to sell access to himself.

Pass it on.

[Wall Street Apes @WallStreetApes]

This is a brand new package of Jimmy Dean bacon

The marked weight on the package is 12 ounces

If you take the unopened package and put it directly on a scale the weight is only 10.6 ounces, and that’s with the package

I looked up the law. In the United States the marked net weight on bacon packages must reflect only the weight of the bacon itself, excluding the packaging

Under FDA rules the packaging must be excluded

We are being robbed blind

[Massimo @Rainmaker1973]

The Nashville Zoo has launched a public campaign to block construction of a proposed 69,000-square-foot AI data center that would sit directly adjacent to habitats for endangered animals, including vulnerable clouded leopards.

Zoo officials warn that the facility’s constant noise, bright artificial lighting, and electrical hum could seriously disrupt animal behavior, stress levels, and long-established breeding programs. The zoo is home to more than 3,700 animals representing over 350 species and maintains one of the most important collections of rare and endangered wildlife in the United States.

This conflict highlights a growing backlash against the rapid expansion of data centers driven by the AI boom. These facilities require massive amounts of electricity and operate 24 hours a day, prompting communities nationwide to raise concerns about energy consumption, water use, noise pollution, and environmental impacts. Wildlife conservation groups are now joining the resistance.

More than 180,000 people have already signed a petition opposing the project.

The developer behind the data center states that it will use waterless cooling systems, meet all local noise regulations, and comply with environmental standards. However, zoo leaders argue that the location itself, immediately next to sensitive animal habitats, makes the project unacceptable regardless of technical mitigations.

The dispute underscores a broader challenge of the AI era: how to build the vast digital infrastructure needed for artificial intelligence without placing undue pressure on local communities, ecosystems, and wildlife.

[Kate @kate_p45]

Republican Senators, for the love of God…
STOP POSTING.
You’ve been in the Senate Majority for 15 months. WE THE PEOPLE gave you everything. We gave you the House and Senate so YOU ALL would unite behind President Trump and tram through the entire America First agenda, confirm every nominee, and crush radical Democrat obstruction.
Instead, because YOU chose John Thune as Senate Leader, everything is stalled, watered down, and sabotaged.
We don’t need more tweets about what “needs to happen.”
You have the power. Use it. Pass the agenda.
Confirm the nominees.
Stop the radicals.
STOP POSTING AND ACT.
The American people are watching.

[0️⃣BlackBetty ⚓️ @BabyD1111229]

Nashville Zoo is asking the public to help stop an AI data center from being built next door.

One of America's biggest zoos has launched a campaign against a proposed 69,000-square-foot data center that would sit next to habitats housing endangered species, including vulnerable clouded leopards.

Zoo officials fear the facility's constant noise, artificial lighting, and electrical hum could disrupt animal behavior and breeding programs that have taken years to establish.

The dispute highlights a growing side effect of the AI boom.

As artificial intelligence systems become more powerful, companies are racing to build new data centers to provide the computing power they require. These facilities consume enormous amounts of electricity and often operate around the clock.

Across the United States, communities have increasingly pushed back against new data centers over concerns about energy use, water consumption, noise pollution, and environmental impacts.

Now wildlife conservation groups are joining that resistance.

The Nashville Zoo, which houses more than 3,700 animals representing over 350 species, says the project could threaten one of the most important collections of rare animals in the country.

More than 180,000 people have already signed a petition opposing the development.

The company behind the project says it will use waterless cooling systems, meet noise requirements, and comply with environmental regulations.

But for zoo officials, the location remains the problem.

The battle reflects a growing challenge facing the AI age: how to expand the digital infrastructure powering artificial intelligence without creating new pressures on communities, ecosystems, and wildlife.

https://t.co/GdrsNtLz6E

https://t.co/30cohJlJRp

[Brandon Avedikian @bavedikian]

Bought a $1,742.80 camera online from BestBuy.

The FedEx delivery driver stole it. FedEx admitted it.

But BestBuy won’t give a refund. They said we need to “work with local law enforcement.”

Thought everyone should know if you buy from @BestBuy and a @FedEx driver steals what you paid for, your money is gone. Neither company will make it right.

I’ve spent over $30K at BestBuy and will never spend another penny there.

[Vae Victis @38Felonies]

@RepDebDingell

[Gays Against Groomers @againstgrmrs]

TODAY IS OUR 4TH BIRTHDAY! 🎉 And what a journey it's been.

Thank you to everyone who's supported our fight to protect children's innocence and restore sanity in society.

The work isn't over yet, but man, have we made a lot of progress... and in THAT, we have true pride.

[Dave Bondy @DaveBondyTV]

Six years ago, this is how I had to visit my mom in assisted living. We can never allow this to happen again.

[Jennifer Sey @JenniferSey]

So a man took a sports scholarship from a woman. On a women's team.

That thing that never happens . . . it happened.

[Riley Gaines @Riley_Gaines_]

This is the reality. He took a scholarship a girl earned.

So no, it's not "inclusive". It's exclusive to the very women the women's sporting category was created to protect.

[Alex Daugherty @AlexDaugherty1]

Please join all of Nashville in saying hell no to this AI Data Center.

Maybe the easiest petition to sign I’ve ever come across.

[Christine O'C @TeedOffSparty]

@anguillaman2 @mattvanswol @SenatorCollins The only votes it suppresses is those who should not be voting in the first place. 🙄

[Aaron Siri @AaronSiriSG]

“Looking at the totality of up-to-date evidence and what you've heard from eminent witnesses today, in my view, millions of Americans and millions more across the world may be in clear and present danger of suffering premature cardiovascular disease and cancer.” - @DrAseemMalhotra

[Gunther Eagleman™ @GuntherEagleman]

🚨 UNBELIEVABLE.

The Senate just REJECTED the SAVE America Act, a bill that would’ve required voter ID and proof of citizenship nationwide.
Vote: 48-50. It needed 60.

The Republicans who voted NO: Tillis, Murkowski, McConnell, and Collins.

[ThePersistence @ScottPresler]

🚨FLESH-EATING PARASITE FOUND IN SOUTH TEXAS CALF🚨

Meet the New World screwworm fly.

Eradicated since 1966 in the US, this parasitic fly lays eggs in fresh wounds of warm-blooded animals.

The larvae feed on the host’s flesh, which — if left untreated — can cause the animal to die.

While the screwworm fly is NOT contagious, it does threaten the cattle industry.

It’s rare for humans to contract the parasite, but a Maryland man who traveled to El Salvador was diagnosed with this visitor in 2025.

The US Department of Agriculture is releasing millions of sterilized screwworm flies into targeted areas because female flies only mate once.

This method — called Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) — will help to stop the spread of the screwworm fly.

Cattle ranchers should be on the lookout for rapidly growing, foul-smelling wounds that have white egg masses.