The Piedmont News is an email digest of top news stories about conservation, land use, energy, and environmental matters of interest to the region. We hope you’ll share The Piedmont News with someone else who cares about these stories.
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The Washington Post
(May 14, 2025)
Within the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s new budget reconciliation bill lies an alarming provision: a decade-long moratorium on state regulation of artificial intelligence. If adopted, it would extinguish the only meaningful effort to protect Americans from AI-related risks.
Data Center Dynamics
(May 12, 2025)
Artificial intelligence (AI) data centers in the US are placing increasing strain on water security across the US, according to a recent report from Bloomberg. The report found that close to two-thirds of new data centers constructed or in development since 2022 have been in locations with high levels of water stress. This is especially concentrated in five states, which currently account for 72 percent of all new data centers in locations of acute water stress.
Royal Examiner
(May 10, 2025)
What started as a community conversation quickly turned into a passionate call to action. On Saturday afternoon, May 10th, Warren County residents met at the Warren County Community Center to hear firsthand how data centers—the massive, windowless facilities that power cloud computing and artificial intelligence—are reshaping rural Virginia. For many in the room, it was the first time they had heard the full scope of the issue.
Inside Climate News
(May 9, 2025)
Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed two bills for the development of small solar projects and energy storage that had won bipartisan votes and support from Dominion Energy, environmental groups and farm and forestry representatives. The bills would have encouraged private homes and companies to initiate solar projects and bolstered the existing utility’s efforts to capture electricity from renewable sources for later use.
Bay Journal
(May 9, 2025)
Laws are not the only way that policies are set within a state. The agencies tasked with enacting the laws also have authority to iron out details that are not specified within the laws themselves. This is called the administrative rulemaking process, and it offers another opportunity for the public to help shape policies that impact the environmental health of their waterways, forests, air quality and communities.
This article includes a photo of Julie Bolthouse, PEC's director of land use, speaking at a public hearing on a proposed variance for data centers.
Potomac Local News
(May 5, 2025)
A bank tenant inside a newly completed data center in Manassas has triggered a sweeping local tax exemption, upending financial expectations and leaving city officials blindsided. “This caught the Council completely off guard,” said Councilman Ralph Smith. “We were expecting a major boost in revenue—now we’re left empty-handed.”
Virginia Mercury
(April 30, 2025)
Data centers evoke strong and conflicting opinions. Advocates point to the truly significant revenue they can generate for local governments. Opponents point to data centers’ enormous energy needs, climate impacts, water use and their capacity to diminish the quality of life for residents living nearby. We fear that the widespread use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and a larger ethic of secrecy regarding data-center development curtails meaningful debate and impairs local democracy, write guest columnists Dr. Eric Bonds and Viktor Newby.
This opinion piece appeared in several paywalled newspapers throughout the region since it originally ran in the Virginia Mercury.
The Daily Progress
(May 15, 2025)
The Virginia Department of Transportation has scheduled a public hearing next Thursday on $66.5 million in proposed projects for Fontaine Avenue and Hydraulic Road in Charlottesville.
The projects are designed to improve pedestrian safety and allow for faster travel.
Information Charlottesville
(May 14, 2025)
In any given year, there are only so many transportation projects working their way toward construction.
At any given point, there are also efforts underway to begin planning for the next generation of projects. That often takes the form of public input and this week the Virginia Department of Transportation has announced a new STARS study of the main commercial thoroughfare in Albemarle County.
C-VILLE Weekly
(May 14, 2025)
In one of Charlottesville’s warmest neighborhoods, John Hunter’s yard feels like a cool oasis.
An array of waist-high shrubs and groundcover fills the property, while a billowy corkscrew willow, a hardy black walnut, and several juvenile trees cast shade over the space. Come summer, the plants go a long way toward helping Hunter and his wife beat the heat.
Information Charlottesville
(May 12, 2025)
If a lot of people are going to be living in the same space, you need enough resources to support that population. In the Thomas Jefferson Planning District, there are three different entities charged with storing, treating, and distributing clean drinking water for urban areas. A new update to Virginia code now requires those three to come up with a unified plan because the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality considers them all be in the same river basin.
Charlottesville Community Engagement
(May 12, 2025)
In today’s installment: Albemarle County Supervisors adopted a budget for FY2026 on May 7 so let’s take one last look; Charlottesville City Council votes 3 to 1 to allow 401 Ridge Street to be a bed and breakfast; A preview of tonight’s meeting of the Buckingham County Board of Supervisors where there’s a public hearing for a special use permit for an event center at Yogaville
Information Charlottesville
(May 11, 2025)
It can take many years and many steps for a transportation project to go from idea to a finished reality. One project in the works would see a 0.4 mile stretch of Avon Street upgraded with enhancements for pedestrians.
A citizen information meeting was held Thursday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Monticello High School.
Information Charlottesville
(May 10, 2025)
In order to build a transportation improvement, the Virginia Department of Transportation or a locality must have the right of way to place the new infrastructure. In many cases, VDOT or local authorities negotiate with landowners for what they need but the public sector has the ability to take the land if these are unsuccessful.
On May 5, Charlottesville City Council held public hearings on the use of eminent domain to allow for two streetscape projects to continue. These are for the East High Streetscape as well as the Barracks Emmet Streetscape.
C-VILLE Weekly
(May 9, 2025)
In 2018, Albemarle County entered into a 99-year lease with the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation to open the space as a county-run park. After years of planning and saving up money, the first phase of the park opened last December with 8.5 miles of walking trails.
Fauquier Times
(May 14, 2025)
In the early 2000s, as protein-focused diets were catching on nationally, Joe and Katey Saffer were navigating their young son’s food sensitivities, which required him to eat nutrient-dense protein free of additives — and the idea for a “regenerative” farm was born.
Today they run American Heritage Family Farm in Warrenton, where they pasture-raise cattle, pigs, sheep and poultry in what they describe as “respectful, humane ways” that aim to support protein-rich, healthy living.
Fauquier Now
(May 12, 2025)
Dominion Energy will hold a series of community meetings this month to present and gather public feedback on a proposed 36.5-mile transmission line project that would begin in southern Fauquier County and run through Prince William and Loudoun counties.
Loudoun Now
(May 15, 2025)
Today thousands of area commuters are pedaling through drizzling rain to participate in the 24th annual Bike to Work Day. The event is designed to promote bicycling as a fun, low-cost, healthy, and environmentally friendly mode of transportation. As part of the promotion, pit stops are set up around the region where cyclists can stop for snacks and meet with venders.
Loudoun Now
(May 15, 2025)
A data center application that includes a gas-insulated substation was presented to the Board of Supervisors for consideration Wednesday night.
The Arcola Grove application requests a special exception permit for a site already approved for 614,400 square feet of data center space to increase the building height from 60 to 100 feet —which would allow an additional 172,000 square feet of data center space and add a substation on the property.
Loudoun Now
(May 14, 2025)
The Purcellville Planning Commission will review the town’s involvement with the Virginia Main Street program and make recommendations about next steps as the Town Council remains divided over whether to move forward with the initiative.
Blue Ridge Leader
(May 9, 2025)
Members of the community are encouraged to learn and engage about environment and energy sustainability in Loudoun County by attending the third annual Energy and Environment Forum on Thursday, May 22, 2025, 5:30 – 8 p.m., at the Academies of Loudoun, 42075 Loudoun Academy Drive, Leesburg. The forum is hosted by the Loudoun County Environmental Commission, which advises the Board of Supervisors on policies and practices dealing with the environment, sustainability and the management of energy.
Loudoun Now
(May 9, 2025)
An application, described by some county leaders as one of the most difficult land use decisions they’ve ever had to make, received a recommendation of denial from the Planning Commission on Thursday night. The group is requesting to convert nearly 30 acres from Countryside Residential – 1 to Planned Development – Industrial Park to allow for up to 334,000 square feet of light and medium industrial and commercial uses.
The Rapidan Register
(May 8, 2025)
At last month’s board of supervisors meeting, Firefly CEO Gary Wood updated those in attendance on the project’s status. The RISE project is a partnership between Firefly Fiber Broadband, Rappahannock Electric Cooperative (REC) and Dominion Energy and aims to bring affordable, high-speed internet to more than 42,000 homes and businesses over 13 counties including Madison County.
Rappahannock News
(May 8, 2025)
The Rappahannock County Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission held a joint public hearing Monday on changes to the zoning ordinance’s rules for contractors’ yards. Both bodies passed the revisions unanimously after months of discussion on the topic.
Fox5DC
(May 12, 2025)
The proposed "Bristow Campus" would bring two 75-foot-tall data center buildings near the intersection of Nokesville Road and Piper Lane. However, opponents worry about the impact on agricultural land, noise levels, transmission infrastructure, and emergency resources.
Prince William Times
(May 9, 2025)
Pity the poor Brentsville District. By the number and scope of data center projects approved or proposed there, you would think the industry had singled it out for special retribution.
Augusta Free Press
(May 13, 2025)
The Shenandoah Valley Conservation fellowship program has named four James Madison University students as its inaugural fellows.
The Northern Virginia Daily
(May 12, 2025)
A couple of Warrenton residents traveled to Warren County this weekend to warn that data centers come to communities fast, pushed by money and political influence. Burbank and Gagnon urged the community to get involved particularly if and when it comes to pushing back against data centers. Even data centers that recycle water use a lot in their cooling systems. Some newer data centers use glycol, similar to antifreeze, which comes with its own environmental concerns.
Royal Examiner
(May 9, 2025)
The town and county are abuzz with a number of issues that impact our community. Regarding the issue of data centers, I have seen a lot of people speculating on whether this is relevant or if they are even coming at all. In the interest of the future use of our land and the public’s understanding of pieces already in movement, I would like to shed some light on this as a Planning Commissioner for the town.
WJLA-ABC7News
(May 9, 2025)
A Pennsylvania lawmaker near the Maryland border warns that the explosive growth of Northern Virginia data centers and green energy priorities in neighboring jurisdictions is placing a significant strain on her state, which helps stabilize the regional electric grid. State Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill, R-York, told Spotlight on Maryland on Thursday afternoon in her York, Pa., office that she is uneasy about her state's future and its increasing need to export electricity to Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Northern Virginia.
WAVY
(May 14, 2025)
Chesapeake’s Planning Commission voted Wednesday not to recommend a proposed data center in the Great Bridge area of the city, calling it a tough decision to move forward when looking at it from all perspectives. The proposal is still scheduled to go before City Council at its June 17 meeting, where it will have the final say on approving or denying the project.
Microgrid Knowledge
(May 13, 2025)
It’s no secret that Virginia has a looming power problem. In its 2024 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), Dominion Energy, the state’s leading utility, said it anticipated electricity demand to grow 5.5% annually in the next decade, doubling its current demand by 2039. These higher capacity costs are passed on to consumers through their electric bills, meaning ratepayers will pay significantly more for power availability—even if their actual electricity use doesn’t change.
WVTF
(May 13, 2025)
Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin is working with Democrats who control the General Assembly to increase renewable energy.
It's the hottest new energy source, literally. Geothermal energy is created by boring deep into the ground to release heat from the earth's crust.
Cardinal News
(May 13, 2025)
New census data confirms that Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads are continuing to lose people, but the influx of new residents into rural Virginia is keeping the state on the plus side.
Richmond Times-Dispatch
(May 12, 2025)
Henrico has been somewhat of a giant when it comes to data center growth in the Richmond area. However, the county is considering a move to stem that growth, and limit data centers to an area in and around the White Oak Technology park in eastern Henrico.
Bay Journal
(May 12, 2025)
Maryland recently has taken a few tentative steps aimed at boosting commercial harvest of blue catfish(Ictalurus furcatus), the voracious nonnative predator devouring blue crabs and many native fish in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. Efforts to do likewise in Virginia, though, have been at least partially thwarted by resistance from recreational anglers and fishing guides who want to maintain them as lucrative trophy fish.
The New York Times
(May 9, 2025)
In 2023, sewage plants in Maryland started to make a troubling discovery. Harmful “forever chemicals” were contaminating the state’s sewage, much of which is turned into fertilizer and spread on farmland. To protect its food and drinking water, Maryland has started restricting the use of fertilizer made from sewage sludge. At the same time, a major sludge-fertilizer maker, Synagro, has been applying for permits to use more of it across the state border, on farms in Virginia.
Richmond Times-Dispatch
(May 9, 2025)
The Virginia Department of Health on Friday issued a fish consumption advisory for the Chickahominy watershed because of elevated levels of perfluorooctane sulfonate detected in certain fish species.
The affected species include largemouth bass, sunfish, chain pickerel and creek chubsucker.
The Washington Post
(May 10, 2025)
Local and state officials are vying to host parts of a massive artificial intelligence project called Stargate, backed by OpenAI, even as some communities turn against data center development.
The Washington Post
(May 8, 2025)
Researchers mapped out how land is moving vertically across the 28 most populous U.S. cities and found all the cities were compressing like a deflated air mattress to some extent. Twenty-five of them are dropping across two-thirds of their land. About 34 million people — about 10 percent of the U.S. population — live in the subsiding areas, according to the study published Thursday in Nature Cities.
Environmental News Network
(May 12, 2025)
A research team from the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz and Heidelberg University has, for the first time, used the German environmental satellite EnMAP (Environmental Mapping and Analysis Program) to simultaneously detect the two key air pollutants carbon dioxide (CO₂) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) in emission plumes from power plants – with an unprecedented spatial resolution of just 30 meters.
Environmental News Network
(May 12, 2025)
In a new study, researchers at the University of Würzburg are investigating the interaction of major global change drivers on insects.
The number and diversity of insects is declining worldwide. Some studies suggest that their biomass has almost halved since the 1970s. Among the main reasons for this are habitat loss – for example through agriculture or urbanization – and climate change.
