Rainey Center

08/28/2026

Operation Economic Outcast just expanded. The Treasury Department is targeting five new categories: digital assets, technology, gold, aviation, and shipping.
Rainey Center CEO & President, Sarah E. Hunt, breaks down what this coordinated pressure campaign means and why the timing matters. Read the full piece on our Substack at the link in bio.

08/26/2026

Louisiana has been sitting on a competitive advantage, and the moment to use it is right now.

Reliable power. Ample water. Resources that the AI economy is going to need at scale.

Louisiana House Majority Leader Rep. Mike Echols on why this is Louisiana's renaissance, at the Rainey Center's Energize America 2030 Louisiana Policy Lab.

08/26/2026

145 AI bills became law in the U.S. last year.

The conversation is happening whether communities are ready or not. The question is whether policymakers are walking in informed.

Sarah Hunt, President and CEO of the Rainey Center at our Energize America 2030 Louisiana Policy Lab.

08/25/2026

New piece by Kate Maxwell, senior fellow in election law and policy at the Rainey Center: There’s a solution to South Carolina’s runoff problem

https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/commentary/sc-runoff-instant-runoff-lindsey-graham/article_c1194acb-c1fa-435e-89ab-cc42f19618fa.html?fbclid=IwdGRleAT61q5wZG9mAWZkaWQWUNLMGCqN2W7QFszekH0ex6ZRvjxifmV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR6OG7I2T3GLgqNl4foECOmmwXwNP0-lONY8grcHK1FtMduyIvQOu1iIOws0gg_aem_5xsUcZ_c-U_EAlnkJJ66aw

Last week's crowded Republican primary to succeed the late U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham produced exactly what South Carolina’s runoff system is designed to produce: another election.

08/25/2026

Representative Michael Echols, District 14 in the Louisiana House and candidate for Congress in Louisiana's 5th District, makes a great introduction for our Energize 2030 Policy Lab today in Monroe, Louisiana. We are grateful to our partners for joining to discuss all things AI and data centers!

08/24/2026

That's what makes places like the Rainey Center different - you get industry experts, thought leaders, and people who disagree with each other, all in the same room. Former NC Representative Jason Saine on why that still gives him hope.

08/24/2026

Some data centers are building microgrids that help power the communities around them. That's not a talking point. That's a real benefit sitting on the table.

Tom Hassenboehler, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at CO2EFFICIENT, at the Rainey Center's Energize America 2030 NC State Policy Lab.

08/24/2026

The future matters for your state's residents. Former NC Representative Jason Saine keeping the focus where it belongs at the Rainey Center's Energize America 2030 NC State Policy Lab.

08/24/2026

Data centers can fund school districts. They can help support fire departments and law enforcement funding long-term. Those are the conversations that don't always make the headline, but they should.

Rep. Jake Johnson at the Rainey Center's Energize America 2030 NC State Policy Lab.

08/24/2026

AI needs energy. Energy needs policy. And policy needs people who are actually thinking about the future.

Former NC Representative Jason Saine at the Rainey Center's Energize America 2030 NC State Policy Lab.