Author: North Coast BBQ

We invite you to join our peaceful protest in Nehalem! This gathering is a chance to stand together for our community, raise our voices, and build connections with one another. Please note the updated time: the protest will be held on August 9th, Saturday, from noon to 1:30 PM. We adjusted the schedule because many of us wish to attend the Memorial Service for Chuck McLaughlin at 2 PM at White Clover Grange near Mohler.

About the Protest

This is a PEACEFUL PROTEST, and we welcome everyone—people of all ages, backgrounds, and experiences. Whether you’re a longtime supporter or new to our group, we look forward to seeing you—everyone is welcome! The weather looks promising, so we suggest dressing in layers and bringing a bottle of water. We have some protest signs available, and you’re encouraged to bring your own if you like. If you need a chair to stay comfortable during the event (as many of us do), please bring one along—whatever makes it easier for you to participate works for us.

Supporting Our Community

Along with raising awareness, we’re continuing our tradition of collecting food and monetary donations for our local food bank, North County Food Bank (NCFB) in Wheeler. Your donations make a real difference for families in our community—every can of food or dollar helps support neighbors in need during the summer months. Checks for the food bank can be sent to NCFB, PO Box 162, Wheeler, Oregon, 97147. We’ll also have a collection bin at the protest for donated food. If you wish, please consider a check to Nehalem Bay Community Services (NBCS), PO Box 232, Nehalem, Oregon, 97131—the primary food source for many local kids during the summer. Both organizations are deeply grateful for the community’s ongoing support and generosity.

Staying Connected

We must not abandon our support for one another, even when it feels as if higher levels of government have stepped back. Each act of kindness and solidarity helps strengthen our community.

Thank you all,
Patty Rinehart

In recent years power bills in Great Britain went through the roof and were a primary concern for citizens. It happened in other countries too as I remember. Here in the US those price increases have been relatively modest, though wildfires have caused some areas to suffer more. I think US energy independence pursued by all recent administrations has kept prices somewhat in check. (Not that I personally support fossil fuels use.)

What happened overseas may be encouraging power companies here to seek additional profits as new technology puts pressure on the grid.

From Wall Street Journal 7-29-25:

“Technology companies need an extraordinary amount of electricity to power data centers at the core of the artificial-intelligence race. They don’t want to foot the entire bill.”

From The Hill 8-2-25:

“Supply and demand are believed to be behind cost increases in the PJM territory, which has a reorganized market. They have a capacity auction in which power industries bid to supply enough electricity in the future. Right now, there is a greater demand because more supply will be needed for these data centers. At PJM’s recent auction, prices went up a record 22 percent, according to Reuters.”

From Government Technology 8-2-25:

“Residents in a significant number of states could see noticeable increases in their electricity bills next year, and data centers are the likely culprit. PJM Interconnection just closed its annual capacity auction, which determines what wholesale electricity will cost for the following year. Wholesale electricity capacity prices were up 22 percent over last year.

“PJM’s territory covers all or parts of Delaware, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C. This includes the world’s largest concentration of data centers, Data Center Alley in Northern Virginia. PJM pointed to data center expansion as the main driver for the significant increase in prices.

“The energy industry considers PJM’s auction as a bellwether for prices in the entire U.S., so it wouldn’t be surprising if prices from other providers also see significant increases. Electricity demand in the U.S. has been fairly stagnant over the last decade, but the Bank of America Institute expects it to increase 2.5 percent annually over the next 10 years. The energy-hungry data centers powering artificial intelligence are considered the main culprit.”

However, it’s not just data centers that will put upward pressure on energy prices –

From ConsumerAffairs 8-1-25:

www.consumeraffairs.com/news/whos-paying-for-all-the-electricity-those-new-data-centers-are-using-080125.html

(Note: in trying to determine whether ConsumerAffairs has a bias I found many complaints about their business practices. The complaints all had to do with their consumer review moderation methods controlling product and service reviews on the website. While I would not trust reviews there, the linked article appears factual to me, and it highlights concerning details that could or will probably lead to higher power bills around the country.)

Oregon House Bill 3546, the POWER Act, was passed and signed in June of this year. I’m hoping it will protect Oregonians from increases related to data centers. My opinion is while there are some other beneficial uses as in research, (AI) data centers will be primarily used in a monopolistic fashion to increase corporate profits with tactics like marketing directed at us – why should we pay for that?

-Dave