What was said about data centers in Virginia
133 statements from 62 speakers, grouped by who spoke. Each appears as said, with the date and the source. No verdict is attached.
From February 3, 2026 to September 30, 2026. Statements from every state are on Statements.
Data center companies 10
Developers, operators and builders of data centers and the technology companies that fill them, speaking through their staff and spokespeople. Every state.
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Sandeep Prakash, Senior Program Manager, Data Center Infrastructure Planning
Grid connection requests take four to seven years in Virginia.
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Microsoft
Project needed to address expanding customer demand for cloud platform services in the region
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Cathie Vick, Google Virginia market development and advocacy lead
investment expected to help train thousands of workers, including roughly 3,000 in the Richmond area
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Cathie Vick, Google Virginia market development and advocacy lead
Google committed $50 million toward training electricians and skilled trades workers in Virginia
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Cathie Vick, Google Virginia market development and advocacy lead
Construction can take 18 to 24 months for each building on a data center campus
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Brennan Church, director of engineering, procurement and construction at Hut 8
Switchgear, transformers and generators have extended lead times of 40 to 60 plus weeks.
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Vice President for Data Center Strategy, Meta
Rachel Peterson is Vice President for Data Center Strategy at Meta.
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Sean Farney, JLL Vice President of Data Strategy, said the geographic transformation includes massive investment in West Texas, Ohio, Louisiana and the Carolinas
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Andy Cvengros, co lead of JLL's U.S. data center markets team, said demand levels continue to exceed industry insiders' expectations
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Drew Baglino (Heron Power), Vlad Troy (NVIDIA), Michael Polsky (Invenergy), Varun Sivaram (Emerald AI)
Drew Baglino, Vlad Troy, Michael Polsky and Varun Sivaram propose that AI data centers should do no harm to the grid, offer flexibility when stressed, and help bring new generation and storage into service
Government 86
Officials in office, lawmakers, regulators, public agencies and courts, federal, state, tribal and local. Every state.
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U.S. Senator
Warner argued the Ratepayer Protection Act does not go far enough and urged consideration of his Data Center Tax Accountability and Disclosure Act instead
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U.S. Senator
Warner stated his Data Center Tax Accountability and Disclosure Act would condition access to accelerated depreciation tax benefits on developers meeting standards related to energy, water, building efficiency, setbacks, and community transparency
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U.S. Senator
Senator Mark Warner called on Congress to enact mandatory protections for communities facing data center expansion, including enforceable requirements on energy costs, water usage, transparency, and community impacts
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Vice Chair and Supervisor, Ashburn District, Loudoun County, Virginia
Michael Turner, vice chair and supervisor of the Ashburn District in Loudoun County, Virginia, identified six factors with highest impact on communities: noise, power, water, emissions, setback, and appearance
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Governor of Virginia
Gov. Abigail Spanberger announced a new framework to regulate data centers seeking to review noise regulations and backup power generators and establish guidelines for grid reliability
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Prince William County Supervisor
George Stewart, Supervisor, warned that the 90 day grace period would fire a starter pistol and predicted there would be a race to file applications
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L. Louise Lucas, Senate President Pro Tem, criticized the framework for ignoring the need to end tax exemptions for data centers.
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Governor of Virginia
Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger calls on Congress for federal AI rules addressing workforce impacts, data privacy and resource use for data centers.
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Ryan McDougle, Senate Minority Leader, said the framework echoes concerns about energy generation dynamics and that Virginians across parties are experiencing higher power bills.
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Governor of Virginia
Governor Spanberger launching AI Task Force to tackle risks from rapid AI development
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U.S. Senator from Virginia
Senator Mark Warner expressed concerns about AI agents potentially taking over banks, hospitals, or water systems and called for government safety testing of AI
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U.S. Senator from Virginia
Senator Tim Kaine advised voters to put local candidates on record to keep data center negotiations open rather than secret
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Governor
Spanberger said wealthy companies should cover the full cost of infrastructure built solely to serve their operations
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Abigail Spanberger, Governor of Virginia
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality given 180 day timeline to develop proposals on regulations for data center noise and emissions from backup generation.
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Governor of Virginia
Spanberger said the industry has been rapidly expanding in the last few years without a clear or coordinated plan to address impacts on Virginians.
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Governor of Virginia
Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger unveiled a Data Center Accountability Framework that includes an executive order banning non disclosure agreements between data center projects and state officials or agencies.
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Governor of Virginia
Governor Spanberger said Virginia's Data Center Accountability Framework is the most comprehensive and aggressive data center accountability effort in the country.
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Abigail Spanberger, Governor of Virginia
The Framework bans non disclosure agreements for commercial projects and requires community benefits agreements.
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Abigail Spanberger, Governor of Virginia
The Framework includes five core requirements: Increasing Transparency, Strengthening Environmental Protections, Lowering Energy Costs, Bolstering our Clean Energy Economy, and Delivering a Better Deal for Virginia Workers.
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State Senator, Virginia
Sen. Lashrecse Aird called the framework a critical first step in proper management of data centers with emphasis on protecting ratepayers and natural resources while strengthening local oversight
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Abigail Spanberger, Governor of Virginia
Virginia legislative priorities for 2027 include eliminating by right approval and requiring local approval of any data center using more than 25 megawatts of power.
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Abigail Spanberger, Governor of Virginia
The Framework requires local permit approvals for any data center above 25 megawatts.
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Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger announced a Data Center Accountability Framework aimed at increasing oversight of the data center industry
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Virginia State Senator
Louise Lucas, Senate Finance Committee chair, stated the proposal does not end the $2 billion in sales tax exemptions for data centers.
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Virginia State Senator
State Sen. Glen Sturtevant Jr. questioned what provisions take effect immediately versus going to the General Assembly for approval
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Virginia House Minority Leader
Terry Kilgore, House Minority Leader, said the proposal is internally contradictory regarding data centers' power sources and grid support obligations.
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Kannan Srinivasan, Virginia State Senator, stated Loudoun families have borne costs of data center growth without sufficient protections.
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John McAuliff, Virginia Delegate, called the framework an enormous step forward in protecting communities and putting Virginia as the national leader on data center regulation.
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Virginia State Senator representing Henrico County, Petersburg and Dinwiddie
Sen. Lashrecse Aird, D Henrico County said the framework Spanberger proposed is a critical first step in proper management of data centers
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Virginia Senate President pro tempore L. Louise Lucas said data centers are paying $100,000 to $150,000 a year and appear to be drawing workers away from other jobs including residential construction.
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Mark R. Warner, U.S. Senator (D Virginia), says he introduced legislation to require transparency about data center energy and water use, make data centers pay for grid upgrades, and condition tax benefits on efficiency standards
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Loudoun County Board Chair
Phyllis Randall, Board Chair, said the measure is not a moratorium but a way to give the county time to develop new laws addressing data centers and their effects on nearby communities
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U.S. Representative
Subramanyam's Data Center Fair Share Act directs states to develop a tariff on data centers and other large load users to pay for energy infrastructure, with loss of federal highway funds if a state fails to adopt a tariff
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Virginia Senate President Pro Tem Louise Lucas said the commonwealth has let the data industry run out of control and promised sweeping new changes
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Phyllis Randall, Chair of Loudoun County Board of Supervisors
The board chair made clear the measure was not a ban or a moratorium, but a way to give the county time to craft new laws concerning data centers.
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House Minority Leader
Hakeem Jeffries calls Ratepayer Protection Act a step forward but says more needs to be done on AI concerns
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U.S. Representative
Gabe Evans, Colorado Republican, sponsors bill aimed at preventing data center utility costs from being passed to consumers
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U.S. Representative, Virginia's 10th Congressional District
U.S. Rep. Subramanyam introduced the Responsible Data Center Siting Act, directing federal government to create comprehensive guidelines for siting data centers to protect residents and environment.
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Deshundra Jefferson, Prince William County Board Chair, said change would require any new data center to get special approval from board
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Juli Briskman, Algonkian District Supervisor, said data center development has moved faster than land use policies and raised concerns about noise, air quality, water, substations and power lines affecting schools and communities
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U.S. Representative (D-Virginia 10th District) and Mark Warner, U.S. Senator (D-Virginia)
U.S. Rep. Suhas Subramanyam and U.S. Sen. Mark Warner introduced bills to create standards for siting data centers, amplify transparency about power and water use, and protect communities from international threats
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U.S. Representative
Kathy Castor, Florida Democrat, co sponsors legislation with Evans citing skyrocketing electric bills and need to prevent ratepayers from subsidizing data center energy demands
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White House
Google and other tech companies voluntarily agree to pay for all new power delivery infrastructure upgrades required to service their data centers under the Ratepayer Protection Pledge
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U.S. Senator, D-Virginia
U.S. Senator Tim Kaine warned that the rapid growth of AI data centers needs to come with more transparency
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Virginia Senate President Pro Tem
Louise Lucas said there's bipartisan support on several new bills to implement sweeping new regulations on data centers
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U.S. Representative and Mark Warner, U.S. Senator
Warner and Subramanyam pitched bills requiring data centers to publicly disclose information about energy and water use, emissions, backup generation and other environmental impacts
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Loudoun County Board of Supervisors chair-at-large
Phyllis Randall stated the pause allows the county to craft new laws regarding data centers and their impact on nearby communities
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Leo Rogers, Loudoun County Attorney, said a moratorium is not allowed under Virginia law but the board can pause consideration of legislative applications for good reason
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U.S. Senator from Virginia; Suhas Subramanyam, U.S. Representative, Virginia's 10th Congressional District
U.S. Sen. Mark Warner and U.S. Rep. Suhas Subramanyam introduced bills requiring data centers to publicly disclose energy use, water use, emissions and backup generation impacts.
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Loudoun County attorney
County attorney told the board that an indefinite moratorium would not be legal, while the proposed temporary pause would be limited to 12 months
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U.S. Representative
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, Democratic representative from Virginia's 10th district, introduced four pieces of legislation to address data center impacts.
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Suhas Subramanyam, U.S. Representative from Virginia
The Responsible Data Center Siting Act would direct the Department of Energy to develop national best practices for deciding where data centers should be built
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Suhas Subramanyam, U.S. Representative from Virginia
State utility regulators would have one year after enactment to begin considering the standard and two years to complete consideration
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Suhas Subramanyam, U.S. Representative from Virginia
The measure ties implementation to federal highway money by directing the U.S. transportation secretary to withhold funds from states that have not implemented the large load standard
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Roanoke Vice Mayor and Phazhon Nash, Councilman
McGuire and Nash voiced their dissent in a joint statement, saying supporting growth and economic development does not mean approving every project or type of development
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Suhas Subramanyam, U.S. Representative from Virginia
The Data Center Fair Share Act would require utilities to recover full cost of generation, transmission, and distribution upgrades from nonresidential electricity customers with combined peak demand of at least 100 megawatts at a single site or campus
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Terry McGuire, Roanoke Vice Mayor and Phazhon Nash, Councilman
Roanoke City Council gave consensus to the city manager, aiding the process in moving forward
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Suhas Subramanyam, U.S. Representative
Data Center Fair Share Act requires data centers and other large energy users to pay the full cost of grid and generation upgrades needed to serve them
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U.S. Representative
Rep. Subramanyam introduced bills directing government agencies to create official standards for measuring data center energy and water use
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Suhas Subramanyam, U.S. Representative
Residents report utility bills doubling due to data center infrastructure demands
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Suhas Subramanyam, U.S. Representative
Four bills include Responsible Data Center Siting Act, Data Center Fair Share Act, Data Infrastructure Energy Measurement and Standards Act, and Data Infrastructure Risk Reduction Act
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U.S. Representative (D-VA-10)
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam introduced The Responsible Data Center Siting Act to direct the secretary of energy to establish best practices for locating new data centers
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U.S. Representative (D-VA-10)
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam introduced the Data Infrastructure Energy Measurement and Standards Act directing NIST to develop technical standards for measuring data center energy and water use
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U.S. Representative (D-VA-10)
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam introduced the Data Infrastructure Risk Reduction Act to require development of a strategy to protect communities living around data infrastructure from adversaries
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Virginia State Senator (D-31)
Sen. Russet Perry called for a statewide data center moratorium
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U.S. Representative
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam's package of four bills focuses on the projects' energy costs, national security risks and impact on residents' quality of life
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U.S. Representative (D-VA-10)
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam introduced the Data Center Fair Share Act requiring data centers to pay the full cost of grid and generation upgrades
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Virginia congressman (unnamed)
Virginia congressman proposing federal rules aimed at controlling where data center facilities are built and who pays for infrastructure required to support them
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U.S. Congressman (Virginia 10th District)
Congressman Suhas Subramanyam introduced a four bill national plan to regulate data center expansion
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U.S. Congressman (Virginia 10th District)
Subramanyam's district includes portions of Northern Virginia where data center development has become a prominent economic and community issue
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Ike Broaddus, Fauquier County Supervisor, stated the company had no chance of approval for a data center for more than a year
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Suhas Subramanyam, Representative
Proposal would keep data centers and new power lines away from homes, schools and historic parks
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Representative
Rep. Subramanyam proposed plan to require large data centers to cover costs of power grid updates
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Suhas Subramanyam, Representative
Proposal would require large facilities to cover costs of security upgrades around facilities and infrastructure
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Virginia Economic Development Partnership
Virginia leads nation in planned data centers, with Northern Virginia accounting for largest concentration of digital infrastructure on Earth
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Hartwood District Planning Commissioner
Willie Shelton Jr., planning commissioner, expressed concern about desecration of cemetery and opposition to placing data center on graveyard
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Hanover County supervisor
Sue Dibble, Hanover supervisor, said site should be reserved for residential development
Chief executives 3
Chief executives, presidents, founders and chairs of companies, in technology, data centers, power and elsewhere. Every state.
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CEO of Digital Realty
Andrew Power said pledges by Anthropic, OpenAI and xAI for a slowdown in AI development do not mean pencils down for AI and the real estate that supports it
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Michael Rose, President and CEO
60 percent of LEO Construction's staff works on data center projects in northern Virginia
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Michael Rose, President and CEO
LEO Construction operates in Prince William, Loudoun, Stafford, and Fauquier counties
Utilities and grid operators 1
Electric utilities, cooperatives and the operators of the power grid, and the people who speak for them. Every state.
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Dominion Energy created a GS5 rate class requiring data centers to meet contractual obligations and payment percentages for generation, distribution and transmission costs.
Candidates and campaigns 5
People running for office, their campaigns and their parties. A candidate who does not hold the office is not an official. Every state.
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Democratic congressional candidate
Macy states data center growth is boosting stock prices of AI companies including Google, Meta and Anthropic.
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Democratic congressional candidate
Beth Macy, Democratic candidate for Congress, calls for federal moratorium on new data centers until clear rules established for transparency, water protection, energy pricing, renewable energy procurement and AI regulation.
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Democratic congressional candidate
Macy argues Congress must establish national rules for data center construction, contradicting incumbent Ben Cline who voted for 10 year moratorium on state local regulation that fell short in Senate.
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Senate Finance Chair, Portsmouth Democrat
Louise Lucas said the plan ignores the sales and use tax exemption for data centers remaining untouched
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Bert Mizusawa, U.S. Senate candidate (R Virginia), says he will support local community veto power over data centers and advocates for nuclear reactor deployment for energy
Business groups and unions 2
Chambers of commerce, trade associations and labor unions. Every state.
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Virginia Chamber of Commerce raised concerns about portions of Gov. Spanberger's data center accountability framework, warning that additional restrictions could affect Virginia's ability to attract data center investment.
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IBEW Local 26 President Thomas Myers wrote that Virginia's data center boom is creating high paying skilled trades jobs, strengthening communities and giving electricians upward mobility.
Advocates and residents 10
Advocacy and community groups on every side, residents, neighbors and people speaking at public meetings. Every state.
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Rachel Ellis, Gainesville District resident, argued the amendment did not go far enough and called it window dressing and smoke and mirrors
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Letter writer Mike Host argues Virginia has absorbed far more than its fair share of data centers and that some localities have rewritten their zoning rules to grant essentially automatic approvals for new data centers, bypassing public input and side stepping their own elected leaders in the process
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Mike Doble of Piedmont Environmental Council said the framework does not address existing and pipeline data centers and called for a moratorium instead.
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Chris Miller, president of Piedmont Environmental Council, stated the plan does not deal with what is already built and in the pipeline.
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Virginia director, Chesapeake Climate Action Network
Victoria Higgins of Chesapeake Climate Action Network called for a pause on all data center approvals until protections are implemented.
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Chris Miller
Piedmont Environmental Council calls for moratorium on new data center development, arguing state lacks comprehensive plan for massive new power demand.
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Letter writer
Former Governor Youngkin inherited the vast majority of data centers from drum roll, the former Governor Glenn Youngkin who was Republican
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Letter writer
Governor Spanberger came to office on January 15, 2025, less than 9 months before the September 2026 article date
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Susanne DeHart, Pulaski County citizen
Tax rate for the data center facility is unknown but guaranteed not the same as citizens of Pulaski County who will have property reassessed in 2027
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Erin Sanzero, President of Protect Stafford
Protect Stafford is a grassroots coalition working to ensure data center development in Stafford County is responsible, community informed, and sustainable.
Researchers and analysts 4
Universities, research institutes, think tanks, pollsters, economists and consultants. Every state.
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Uptime Institute
More than half of data center operators report difficulties finding qualified candidates for vacant roles
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Jared Walczak, Tax Foundation senior fellow
Data centers in Loudoun County transform the tax base and help fund schools and infrastructure while keeping homeowners' property tax bills lower
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Nathan Ensmenger, academic
Data centers have become subject of county hearings, political campaigns, and congressional legislation regarding environmental impact
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Nathan Ensmenger, academic
Data center environmental awareness has focused on measurable impacts such as water consumption, electric rates, and thermal pollution
Other voices 12
Journalists, lawyers, former officials, and speakers the source describes in words that name none of the groups above. Every state.
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Greg Riegle, McGuireWoods partner and leader of the firm's Data Centers Practice Area, said Virginia's sales and use tax exemption for data center equipment is a pivotal driver of the industry's rapid growth in Virginia
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McGuireWoods partner
Greg Riegle said local governments don't have the requisite authority from the General Assembly to enact a moratorium on data centers in the traditional sense
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FOX 5 (news report)
More than one Maryland county has voted to pass a data center moratorium
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David Aldrich and Chris Miller
Each transmission line corridor has a minimum 300 foot wide right of way affecting rural and suburban communities
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David Aldrich and Chris Miller
Data centers require thousands of miles of new transmission lines, hundreds of new substations, and dozens of new power plants
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David Aldrich and Chris Miller
Virginia needs to immediately pause all data center contracts for interconnections to the power grid until a plan addresses six critical issues
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David Aldrich and Chris Miller
If 85 GW of data center capacity were built out, Virginia's current power grid would quadruple in size
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rvamag.com reporter
Virginia data center industry facing more organized opposition after years of explosive growth with relatively little public resistance
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Nancy Kotting, cultural resources specialist
Cemetery on Potomac Creek Campus site includes four known Seddon family burials and indications of 12 or more unmarked burials believed to be enslaved individuals
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unnamed narrator
Data centers promise to generate millions of dollars in tax revenue for local governments.
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unnamed narrator
Data center opponents raise concerns regarding noise and water overuse for cooling.
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unnamed narrator
Virginia is home to the largest concentration of data centers in the world.
The group comes from the words the source gives for the speaker; how the groups are read. Every statement on the record is in CSV and JSON, with its group and its state.
