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The Virginia General Assembly kicks off its 2026 session on Wednesday, Jan. 14, and we anticipate numerous bills related to data center reform coming before state lawmakers. To that end, the Virginia Data Center Reform Coalition will once again host our Data Center Reform Lobby Day in Richmond, VA, providing a unique opportunity to meet face-to-face with your legislators and make your voice heard on critical data center issues impacting you and your community each day.
We are stronger together. By showing up in large numbers, we will show elected officials that we are a unified movement that demands action this session.
What: 2026 Data Center Reform Lobby Day
When: Monday, Feb. 9, 2026
Time: 7:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Where: Kick-off at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
815 East Grace Street, Richmond, VA 23219
Who: All are welcome — no experience necessary!
The General Assembly will run for 60 days this year, ending on March 14, 2026. During this time, Virginia state delegates and senators will review bills and decide which ones to support, representing a major opportunity to advocate for smarter data center development and legislation that ensures accountability and responsibility from the data center industry.
We believe data center development in Virginia is out of control and it is critical to get legislation in place this year to bring about a smarter digital future for our state.
You Can Make an Impact: Join Us on Data Center Lobby Day
The state data center reform campaign continues to be one of our top organizational priorities during this legislative session due to the explosive growth of data centers and impacts of their associated infrastructure. The many data centers approved and in the pipeline in Virginia are bringing enormous demands on energy, water and land, destroying quality of life and increasing the likelihood of electric grid outages. Virginians are recognizing that not only is their quality of life being threatened, but they are also subsidizing the build out of infrastructure causing those impacts.
Now is the time to step up and lobby members of the General Assembly to create lasting change!
With the support of people like you, we have been able to educate and mobilize groups across the state to bring attention to the threats posed by this burgeoning industry. There’s still much to be done. Take action for your community and encourage your legislators to support data center reform.
Register to join us on Monday, Feb. 9 at the State Capitol to meet with legislators in Richmond and join in with communities across the nation that are encouraging representatives at all levels of government to step up and demand much needed reform for the unchecked proliferation of data centers in our communities.
With so many residents coming from northern Virginia, we have reserved a bus from the Gainesville Park and Ride, which will depart at 5:30 a.m. and return around 4:30 p.m. Free parking is available on-site. The bus is a stress-free and more environmentally friendly way to join the fun! Coffee and morning snacks will be available, and the bus will have a bathroom. Upon registration, please indicate if you would like to reserve a seat on the bus. Space is limited! [More info and registration]
What to Expect on Lobby Day:
Tips and online training on Tuesday, Feb. 3 at 12 p.m. and 6 p.m. to prepare you for the day. Register to receive the link to the online training.
Meetings with legislators (you’ll have expert guidance!)
Breakfast, lunch and networking with fellow advocates
Bus transportation available from Gainesville, VA
Morning press conference
Keynote speeches from community leaders and Virginia legislators
What’s the Deal with Data Centers?
Virginia is home to the world’s largest concentration of data centers in the world, dwarfing all other global markets. Each of these data centers consumes as much power as a small city, creating a huge increase in future electricity infrastructure needs, and their continued, unfettered growth will have a disastrous impact on ratepayers, our communities, and the environment.
Who is going to foot the outrageous energy bill?
Virginia ratepayers like you, me, farmers and small business owners will be subsidizing the infrastructure cost through our electric bills. Dominion Energy forecasts that its peak energy capacity will more than double by 2038, largely due to the contracts it holds with data centers. Dominion Energy’s own projections show that residential energy bills could more than double by 2035. In other words, many of these communities that do not host data centers could bear the financial burden of the industry without receiving any of the touted economic and tax benefits. To add insult to injury, the state sales tax exemption for this industry is larger than any other, reaching $1.6 billion in 2025.
How will the industry impact air quality, climate goals, water resources, community health and the environment? A study on data centers in Virginia by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) found that growing energy demands of data centers would be “difficult” to “very difficult” to meet, even with massive increases in all energy generation types. Utility companies are proposing to add fossil fuel power plants to meet these demands, impacting our local air quality and further contributing to climate change. The same study found that water usage from data centers can be “substantial,” yet there is little transparency or oversight of the industry’s usage of this critical resource.
A single private industry should not be allowed to derail Virginia from its conservation and clean energy goals. Meet with your legislators during lobby day on Feb 9. to encourage them to support data center reform.
PEC’s Approach: The Four Pillars
PEC is a lead organizer of a state-wide coalition of organizations and communities concerned about the impacts of the data center boom. The Virginia Data Center Reform Coalition – which is comprised of more than 50 environmental, conservation, historic preservation and climate advocacy groups, as well as representatives of diverse communities and neighborhoods across the Commonwealth – is urging state lawmakers to study the cumulative effects of data center development in Virginia, and to institute several commonsense regulatory and rate-making reforms for the industry.
The Piedmont Environmental Council advocates for data center reform around four main pillars:
- Enhanced transparency
- State oversight
- Protections for families and businesses
- Mitigation and incentives for efficiency
Each pillar on its own can bring great improvement in the industry, but taken together, they provide a framework for comprehensive reform. Learn more about the Four Pillars →.
Actions Legislators Can Take on Data Center Reform
On Monday, Jan. 5, PEC urged Virginia lawmakers to take action to rein in unconstrained data center development by 1) pausing approvals of hyperscale data centers, 2) evaluating existing and proposed commitments for additional energy infrastructure by utilities, and 3) requiring a comprehensive and transparent plan for protecting our electrical grid, water, air, and communities from the destructive impacts of this unconstrained growth.
In addition, PEC called for the Virginia General Assembly to “create a transparent, sustainable and achievable energy plan” and pass legislation that includes:
- State oversight and coordinated planning across the agencies of government, including State Corporation Commission review of interconnection
- Enhanced transparency through statewide reporting on data center energy use, water consumption, and emissions
- Requirement for air quality studies of cumulative impacts from thousands of onsite generators that have been approved and continue to be permitted
- Denial/rollback of the Department of Environmental Quality change on more frequent use of highly polluting back up generators
- Protection for residents and businesses from subsidizing data center infrastructure
Read the full press release. →
If you are unable to join us in Richmond on Feb. 9, consider joining PEC, our Virginia Conservation Network partners, and fellow advocates on Wednesday, Feb. 4 for Conservation Lobby Day.
Thanks for your continued support. Keep an eye out for updates on data center legislation as the General Assembly session moves forward. Weekly updates will be shared with the Virginia Data Center Reform Coalition. You can email me to join the group or with any questions. We hope to see you on Feb. 9!
Sincerely,
Jared Mummert
Senior Data Center Reform Campaign Coordinator
[email protected]
(540) 347-2334 x7048
