Alex Milan Tracy for Underscore
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The dozens of independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan news organizations that make up the Rural News Network are developing the broadest news alliance reporting on rural America. These newsrooms are pursuing coverage that provides a more complete picture of what it means to live and work in these communities.
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LATEST NEWS FROM THE NETWORK
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Carbon capture, ‘rare earth’ from coal among projects poised to get $11.7M in state grants
February 04, 2026
The state is seeking public comment on three proposed grants, including $6 million to coal giant Peabody Energy to sift critical minerals from Wyoming coal.
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At least four Wisconsin communities signed secrecy deals for billion-dollar data centers
January 26, 2026
Massive data center proposals are often developed in secret. Wisconsin has now joined several states with legislative proposals to make the process more transparent.
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Stephens County moves to enforce wind farm lighting requirements following executive session
January 13, 2026
The red warning lights mounted on the wind turbines are part of an Aircraft Detection Lighting System (ADLS), which is supposed to be sensor-triggered.
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Proposed Fluvanna gas plant could lead to new premature deaths and rising asthma rates, study finds
January 09, 2026
A Harvard study projects increased pollution and long-term health impacts across central Virginia.
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Student interest in SD energy programs on the rise
January 02, 2026
In South Dakota, where the state’s proportion of clean energy production is the highest in the country, students are taking advantage of growing energy workforce needs.
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When power is out in Boulder County mountain towns, 911 service fails. New backup batteries could solve the problem.
January 02, 2026
But emergency responders say Lumen Technologies has resisted persistent requests for new battery systems needed to keep them connected during emergencies.
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Feds, Wyoming greenlight new helium plant, among world’s largest
December 17, 2025
The Dry Piney helium production and CO2 sequestration project would rival ExxonMobil’s neighboring Shute Creek plant near LaBarge.
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Legislators plan bills to help Piedmont residents in mine fight
December 01, 2025
Opposition to the mine has crystalized quickly in Meade County, where residents have held meetings and created a Facebook page that had 700,000 page views in its first month.
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Citizen groups challenge secrecy and pollution concerns in Tucker County data center air permit decision
November 25, 2025
Three citizen groups are appealing the Department of Environmental Protection’s decision to issue an air permit for a power plant in Tucker County.
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Groups push back on Montana’s ‘data center boom’ in petition before utility commission
November 18, 2025
The petitioners argue that NorthWestern’s plan to sign electricity service agreements before garnering regulatory approval is “unreasonable, insufficient and contrary to Montana law.”
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Major power line expansions will fuel future growth in SD
November 03, 2025
The new transmission lines in and out of South Dakota should open the door to future development of energy in the state, especially in regard to sustainable sources such as wind and solar.
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Trump’s major coal sales flop in Wyoming and Montana
October 08, 2025
The postponement in Wyoming and lackluster offer in Montana come just days after the Trump administration touted sweeping regulatory rollbacks and $625 million in federal spending to revitalize “clean, beautiful coal.”
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Economic boom or environmental disaster? Rural Texas grapples with pros, cons of data centers
October 02, 2025
Local leaders see data centers, which help power the world’s shift to artificial intelligence, as a way to keep their towns open. Residents worry their way of life — and water — is at stake.
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A power plant next door
September 25, 2025
The small city on the western outskirts of Billings is among the Montana communities where a lively local agriculture scene coexists with some of the state’s heaviest industries.
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Entergy Mississippi announces largest grid upgrade in history
September 25, 2025
Entergy is the state’s largest utility company, serving about 459,000 customers in 45 counties.
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