The United States is facing an energy crisis, and the tri-state area is poised to solve it.

President Donald Trump declared a “national energy emergency” the day he entered office last year, blaming the previous administration for the inadequate energy supply and infrastructure that’s causing high consumer energy prices and endangering our national security.

Lest you think this is a partisan issue, around the same time, Pennsylvania’s Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro unveiled his all-of-the-above energy plan to create jobs, lower consumer costs and ensure Pennsylvania’s position as an energy leader.

These proclamations came just after the U.S. produced a record-breaking amount of energy two years in a row. Natural gas, crude oil, biofuels, solar and wind each set domestic production records in 2023 and 2024, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

So, how can we be in a crisis while producing more energy than ever before? That’s what we’re going to explore in this new series. The answer is complex but includes the rapid development of artificial intelligence data centers, an unreliable grid, aging infrastructure, policy shifts and more.

Already a region rich in natural resources — and one that has been historically exploited for these resources — Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia will, once again, be solving the problem of powering a nation.

In the first part of this recurring series, Farm and Dairy will look at how data center development will impact residents in the tri-state area and how the landscape will change to meet artificial intelligence’s insatiable appetite for power.