Beshear: White House cut me out of Kentucky’s mega data center plan

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear says the White House didn’t brief him before unveiling a $100 billion data-center and energy hub on a DOE site in Paducah, a move that underscores the political scramble surrounding large-scale AI infrastructure. Beshear criticized the lack of details on scope, power needs and environmental implications, while DOE says it notified his office in advance. The project—funded by NextEra Energy and Brookfield—has sparked local and state scrutiny over electricity costs, environmental impact, and governance as Beshear weighs a potential presidential run and issues an executive order to set standards for data centers.