Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall joined a coalition of 16 attorneys general this week in questioning major technology companies over their claims of operating solely on renewable energy.

In a letter sent recently to Microsoft, Meta, Google and Amazon, the coalition warned that the companies’ energy-use claims could threaten the stability of the nation’s electric grid. The attorneys general argue that the tech giants lean on “renewable energy certificates,” or RECs, to offset emissions while continuing to rely heavily on traditional fossil fuels, particularly at data centers.

RECs are tradeable credits meant to represent renewable energy that has been generated and added to the power grid. The companies often purchase unbundled RECs, which allow them to claim renewable energy usage without directly reducing emissions or ensuring that renewable power supplies their facilities.

The letter described the practice as potentially misleading, stating that it allows companies to assert they use 100% renewable energy while depending on coal and natural gas. “When big tech companies claim to use 100% renewable energy, they pressure utilities to move away from fossil-fuel-generated baseload power to attract or retain big tech data center development,” the attorneys general wrote.

The coalition raised concerns that shuttering fossil-fuel plants to accommodate tech companies could undermine grid reliability. They emphasized that the purchase of unbundled RECs does little to address the companies’ true energy consumption or environmental impact.

Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen led the effort, joined by attorneys general from Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, West Virginia and Wyoming.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall joined a coalition of 16 attorneys general this week in questioning major technology companies over their claims of operating solely on renewable energy.

In a letter sent recently to Microsoft, Meta, Google and Amazon, the coalition warned that the companies’ energy-use claims could threaten the stability of the nation’s electric grid. The attorneys general argue that the tech giants lean on “renewable energy certificates,” or RECs, to offset emissions while continuing to rely heavily on traditional fossil fuels, particularly at data centers.

RECs are tradeable credits meant to represent renewable energy that has been generated and added to the power grid. The companies often purchase unbundled RECs, which allow them to claim renewable energy usage without directly reducing emissions or ensuring that renewable power supplies their facilities.

The letter described the practice as potentially misleading, stating that it allows companies to assert they use 100% renewable energy while depending on coal and natural gas. “When big tech companies claim to use 100% renewable energy, they pressure utilities to move away from fossil-fuel-generated baseload power to attract or retain big tech data center development,” the attorneys general wrote.

The coalition raised concerns that shuttering fossil-fuel plants to accommodate tech companies could undermine grid reliability. They emphasized that the purchase of unbundled RECs does little to address the companies’ true energy consumption or environmental impact.

Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen led the effort, joined by attorneys general from Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, West Virginia and Wyoming.

The full letter is available at www.alabamaag.gov.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall joined a coalition of 16 attorneys general this week in questioning major technology companies over their claims of operating solely on renewable energy.

In a letter sent recently to Microsoft, Meta, Google and Amazon, the coalition warned that the companies’ energy-use claims could threaten the stability of the nation’s electric grid. The attorneys general argue that the tech giants lean on “renewable energy certificates,” or RECs, to offset emissions while continuing to rely heavily on traditional fossil fuels, particularly at data centers.

RECs are tradeable credits meant to represent renewable energy that has been generated and added to the power grid. The companies often purchase unbundled RECs, which allow them to claim renewable energy usage without directly reducing emissions or ensuring that renewable power supplies their facilities.

The letter described the practice as potentially misleading, stating that it allows companies to assert they use 100% renewable energy while depending on coal and natural gas. “When big tech companies claim to use 100% renewable energy, they pressure utilities to move away from fossil-fuel-generated baseload power to attract or retain big tech data center development,” the attorneys general wrote.

The coalition raised concerns that shuttering fossil-fuel plants to accommodate tech companies could undermine grid reliability. They emphasized that the purchase of unbundled RECs does little to address the companies’ true energy consumption or environmental impact.

Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen led the effort, joined by attorneys general from Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, West Virginia and Wyoming.

The full letter is available at www.alabamaag.gov.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall joined a coalition of 16 attorneys general this week in questioning major technology companies over their claims of operating solely on renewable energy.

In a letter sent recently to Microsoft, Meta, Google and Amazon, the coalition warned that the companies’ energy-use claims could threaten the stability of the nation’s electric grid. The attorneys general argue that the tech giants lean on “renewable energy certificates,” or RECs, to offset emissions while continuing to rely heavily on traditional fossil fuels, particularly at data centers.

RECs are tradeable credits meant to represent renewable energy that has been generated and added to the power grid. The companies often purchase unbundled RECs, which allow them to claim renewable energy usage without directly reducing emissions or ensuring that renewable power supplies their facilities.

The letter described the practice as potentially misleading, stating that it allows companies to assert they use 100% renewable energy while depending on coal and natural gas. “When big tech companies claim to use 100% renewable energy, they pressure utilities to move away from fossil-fuel-generated baseload power to attract or retain big tech data center development,” the attorneys general wrote.

The coalition raised concerns that shuttering fossil-fuel plants to accommodate tech companies could undermine grid reliability. They emphasized that the purchase of unbundled RECs does little to address the companies’ true energy consumption or environmental impact.

Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen led the effort, joined by attorneys general from Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, West Virginia and Wyoming.

The full letter is available at www.alabamaag.gov.

The full letter is available at www.alabamaag.gov.