Virginia governor wakes up to fact datacenters have become political cancer
Executive order puts the kibosh on NDAs, limits permitting, and calls for stiffer environmental protections
Virginia may be known for its charm, but it's also become a hub for datacenters. Governor Abigail Spanberger recently took action by issuing an executive order aimed at curbing the rapid growth of these facilities. Spanberger explained that previous datacenter expansions in the state had lacked a clear plan to manage their effects on Virginians.
The executive order is part of a comprehensive framework designed to increase transparency, eliminate non-disclosure agreements, impose stricter permitting limits, and enforce more robust environmental controls. In addition, the order mandates local approval for datacenters surpassing 25 megawatts and removes large-scale datacenters from expedited permitting processes.
Spanberger emphasized the need for the order to safeguard residents and protect the environment. The broader framework also seeks to limit the use of water-intensive cooling systems in regions facing water scarcity and encourages datacenter operators to adopt cleaner energy sources, such as battery storage or fuel cells, to reduce emissions.
This news arrives shortly after Loudoun County, Virginia, decided to pause final actions on certain new datacenter and substation applications for up to a year, a move endorsed by the county's Board of Supervisors. Loudoun County currently houses a significant portion of datacenters in the state. Nationwide opposition to datacenter development is growing, fueled by concerns about air quality, noise pollution, water usage, and increased electric bills for residents.
In Tennessee, Elon Musk's Colossus 2 datacenter, partially powered by 27 gas turbines in Mississippi, is facing an NAACP lawsuit alleging Clean Air Act violations. Some states, like New York and Pennsylvania, have taken even more drastic measures by temporarily halting datacenter construction exceeding 50 megawatts or blocking permit applications unless they meet specific environmental and responsibility standards.
These actions aim to prevent local residents from bearing the financial burden of grid improvements built on uncertain future demand.
Written by urgent.news from The Register's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
