Members of the General Assembly are expected to consider the rapid expansion of data centers next year.
Northern Virginia has long been the global capital for data centers, but now they are expanding to the rest of Virginia. According to the Piedmont Environmental Council, Virginia already has about 200 data centers, with applications pending for 100 more.
Tim Cywinsky at the Sierra Club says these facilities are a drain on the power grid and the water supply.
"We have virtually no substantive public policy protecting customers from data center growth. Right now, we are giving them a massive amount of subsidies, billions of dollars in tax benefits and huge amounts of land," Cywinsky says. "And what are we [getting] in return? Well, we don't get a discount on our two-day delivery for Amazon, and we don't get a reliable energy grid."
Some members of the General Assembly are sounding alarm bells on the rapid growth, including Senator Danica Roem, a Democrat from Prince William County.
"This last session, I introduced five bills to fight back against this industry; basic stuff like telling local governments, ‘Hey, before you approve of a data center, you need to have performed your assessments ahead of time,'" says Roem. "Even that became a controversial bill that couldn't get out of committee."
Later this year, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission will release a report looking at demands on the power grid and the water supply in addition to potential solutions for noise abatement and stormwater runoff. That report is expected to prompt legislation that will be considered next year.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
