How states make decisions

Side-by-side comparisons of how states decide about data centers, energy, and infrastructure: what they offer, what they require, who pays, and how they check the results. Each project is built from statutes, commission orders, and agency documents, with the underlying data available to download.

By Joshua Phoebus. LinkedIn · Website

Data centers and the grid

Which data center load counts

How six PJM states screen data center electricity requests before they count in the load forecast: forecast review, contract terms, collateral, and duplicate-request disclosure.

PA, VA, OH, MD, NJ, IL

Who pays for data center power

How states set the terms large electricity customers must accept: size thresholds, minimum bills, contract terms, exit fees, and collateral.

PA, VA, OH, MD, GA

What states changed on data centers in 2026

What legislatures, governors, utility regulators, and local governments changed this year, and where each change came from.

PA, VA, OH, MD, GA

Incentives and accountability

State data center incentives, compared

How states structure their data center sales tax exemptions: eligibility, investment and job requirements, and duration.

PA, VA, OH, MD, GA

What counts as exempt data center equipment

Which equipment qualifies under each state's data center sales tax exemption.

PA, VA, OH, MD, GA

How states check their tax incentives

How states evaluate whether their tax incentives deliver what they promise.

Ten states

Infrastructure and what comes next

DOE's SPARK grid selections, tracked

The Department of Energy's SPARK grid-upgrade selections, tracked as they move forward.

Federal program, state projects

Are state rules ready for quantum computing?

Whether state data center incentives, tariffs, and reporting rules address quantum computing, and how states are preparing.

PA, VA, OH, MD, GA

About

I spent seven and a half years in Pennsylvania state government, including four years as Director of Performance and Transformation in the Office of Governor Tom Wolf, where I led the Commonwealth's performance-based budgeting engagement across twenty-nine executive agencies and guided agencies on compliance with the tax credit reviews required under Act 48.

These projects apply that experience to the decisions states are making now about data centers, energy, and infrastructure. Each comparison is current as of the date on its page, and each lists its sources. They are for policy analysis and are not legal or regulatory advice.