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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Culpeper Star-Exponent
(March 4, 2026)
Late last year, Dominion Energy announced plans for the 70-mile Kraken Loop power line, which would run through local counties. Now add the proposed Joshua Falls to Yeat transmission line project to the plans. The project's preliminary route would cover nine counties from Lynchburg to Culpeper, according to a February statement from Valley Link. The roughly 115-mile, 765-kilovolt electric transmission line would include a new proposed substation in Culpeper. Piedmont Environmental Council said the project would impact a few properties in the Richardsville area initially but could impact more in the future.
This article mentions The Piedmont Environmental Council.
Piedmont Environmental Council
(March 4, 2026)
A new independent analysis finds that emissions from the Vantage Data Center’s permitted on-site power system in Loudoun County could result in $53 million–$99 million per year in health-related damages, driven primarily by premature mortality as well as respiratory and cardiovascular disease. “When large data centers use fossil fuel turbines for power in populated areas, even modest increases in air pollution can have real health consequences,” said Dr. Michael Cork, founder of EmPower Analytics Group and a Harvard-affiliated health scientist. The study, conducted by EmPower Analytics Group and commissioned by The Piedmont Environmental Council, evaluates the public-health and economic impacts of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions from Vantage’s permitted on-site power system, which includes eight natural gas turbines and 51 diesel generators.
This press release quotes PEC President Chris Miller and PEC Director of Land Use Julie Bolthouse.
Richmond Times-Dispatch
(March 4, 2026)
The clock is ticking away toward the end of Virginia's legislative session, and state lawmakers are still at odds over whether to eliminate a tax break for data centers that costs the state about $1.6 billion per year. The deal to not charge sales tax to data centers is part of what brought developers here and made Virginia the "data center capital of the world." The Senate budget proposes letting the tax exemption expire next year and rerouting that money toward families, teachers and public employees. The House's proposed budget would keep the tax incentive in place.
Loudoun Now
(March 3, 2026)
Bills by Sen. Russet Perry (D-31) and Del. John McAuliff (D-30) that look to promote agrivoltaics projects—the combination of solar energy generation with farming—have received approval from the House and Senate. The legislation now moves to Gov. Abigail Spanberger for a final decision. SB 340 and HB 508 would define agrivoltaics when referring to small renewable energy projects, the first step in shaping state code to make such projects easier to construct across Virginia.
This article quotes Piedmont Environmental Council Senior Energy & Climate Advisor Ashish Kapoor and mentions PEC's agrivoltaics project at its Community Farm at Roundabout Meadows in Aldie, VA (Loudoun County).
The Rapidan Register
(March 3, 2026)
It was a packed house at Emanuel Episcopal Church as the Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) discussed its proposed historic district encompassing portions of Culpeper, Madison and Orange counties. First introduced in 2020, the proposed Rapidan River – Clark Mountain Rural Historic District encompasses 42,000 acres of historic landscape over 65 square miles that is known for its high concentration of historic resources dating from the prehistoric period through the 1930s. According to the PEC, the proposed district includes a variety of historic sites ... as well as remnants of the Civil War era Rapidan Line and sites associated with early Native American groups.
This article quotes Piedmont Environmental Council Land Use Field Representative for Madison & Orange Counties, Don McCown and former PEC staff and current consultant, Kristie Kendall, and features PEC's work on the proposed Rapidan River – Clark Mountain Rural Historic District.
Charlottesville Tomorrow
(March 5, 2026)
A group of energy companies hopes to build a 765-kilovolt electric transmission line spanning 115 miles across parts of central Virginia. The project would require clearing a 200-foot corridor along the entire route, much of which cuts through forested and agricultural areas. According to a report from 29 News, Valley Link has already sent out letters to 120,000 Virginia residents whose properties fall within the potential corridor for the transmission line.
This article includes a graphic produced by The Piedmont Environmental Council and quotes PEC Senior Energy Infrastructure Policy Analyst, Michael Barber.
Baltimore Fishbowl
(March 4, 2026)
Data centers’ proportion of the regional electricity grid supplying power to Maryland and other nearby states will triple between 2024 and 2029, according to a report by the grid operator. A sudden surge in power demand, supply issues and a long, bureaucratic approval process for bringing on new power has led to higher electricity prices in Maryland — costs that are only expected to increase. Chris Miller, president of the Virginia-based Piedmont Environmental Council, said Maryland is experiencing some of the same pressures that transformed Northern Virginia into the world’s largest data center hub.
This article quotes Piedmont Environmental Council President Chris Miller.
Virginia Business
(March 1, 2026)
Three data center projects totaling more than 7 million square feet are under construction now in Stafford, including Colorado developer Vantage Data Centers‘ $2.2 billion, three-building campus, one of the state’s largest economic development announcements in 2025. Vantage’s project is on Centreport Parkway, a fast-growing industrial hub located along Interstate 95 near Stafford Regional Airport. What’s more, Stafford County has 18 data centers in the pipeline. The county’s position just south of Ashburn’s “Data Center Alley” and Prince William County has received greater interest in the past year from data center developers.
Information Charlottesville
(March 5, 2026)
This winter, Albemarle County has begun construction on a 220-foot long pedestrian bridge over the waterway that gives Biscuit Run its name, as well as a parking lot and a trail compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. This will provide a second entrance to the park from Hickory Street in Southwood.
PEC’s Albemarle and Charlottesville Community Advocacy Manager Peter Krebs has been working to expedite the construction of a second park entrance with a pedestrian and bicycle bridge to cross Biscuit Run Stream and provide access to the adjacent Southwood neighborhood, which holds the largest concentration of affordable housing in the area.
C-VILLE Weekly
(March 4, 2026)
On Feb. 24, there was no opposition to a request from Piedmont Realty Holdings to rezone 3.2 acres to the Neighborhood Model District on 600 Rio Rd. W in order to build up to 153 new residential units. If constructed at the full level, the residential density would be 47.8 units per acre.
C-VILLE Weekly
(March 4, 2026)
There have been very few renovations at Westhaven since the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority constructed 126 apartments in 1964 as a replacement for homes razed in Vinegar Hill. Decades later, funding and planning for a new era is moving forward. CRHA Executive Director John Sales told City Council on February 18 that design work has been led by more than 30 residents who have been working on the plans for three years and have clear goals.
Charlottesville Tomorrow
(February 27, 2026)
In the summer of 2024, Charlottesville’s Bellair Farm was approved for a $100,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). But months later, a federal funding change upended those plans, leaving the farm uncertain whether the money would materialize. The historic 900-acre farm south of downtown Charlottesville was one of five recipients in Virginia to get this grant through a Biden-era USDA program called the Farm Labor Stabilization and Protection Pilot Program. The goal of the program was to shore up the country’s strained agricultural supply chains by tackling critical farmworker shortages. The broader backdrop for the program is a looming crisis in the nation’s food supply, driven largely by a persistent farmworker shortage, UVA Professor Jennifer Bair told Charlottesville Tomorrow in July 2025.
This article cites agricultural data from The Piedmont Environmental Council.
The Winchester Star
(March 3, 2026)
Berryville officials are recommending some water and sewer rate hikes, but no tax rate increases, for the new fiscal year that will start July 1. An $18.3 million budget proposal presented to Berryville Town Council on Monday would raise the water rate for in-town customers from $10.30 to $11.62 per 1,000 gallons used. The rate for customers outside the town would increase from $6.25 to $10.90 per 1,000 gallons. The in-town rate for sewer service would rise from $17.78 to $18.31 per 1,000 gallons of water used in processing the waste. The out-of-town rate would jump from $22.22 to $22.89.
The Piedmont Journal Recorder
(March 1, 2026)
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), in partnership with Orange County, is seeking public feedback on proposed improvement alternatives being considered as part of a transportation study along a segment of U.S. 522 (Zachary Taylor Highway) between the Town of Unionville and the Culpeper County line. This Strategically Targeted Affordable Roadway Solutions (STARS) study is evaluating operational and safety challenges along the corridor, including key intersections at Route 617 (Everona Road) and Route 621 (Pine Stake Road), and Route 611 (Raccoon Ford Road) and Route 636 (River Road). As part of the next phase of the study, the public is invited to review the proposed alternatives and provide input by completing a brief online survey.
Fauquier Now
(March 2, 2026)
The U.S. Army wants to purchase the 150-acre Middleburg Training Center where some of Virginia’s top racehorses are trained on its nearly one-mile racetrack, something the region’s horsemen say will “cripple” the sport in the area. The Army hopes to base its famous Caisson Detachment – the team of horses and military riders that provide funeral honors for fallen service members and high-ranking dignitaries – at the Middleburg site. Losing the Middleburg Training Center – at 35355 Training Center Lane in western Loudoun County – would have far-reaching consequences for Virginia’s Thoroughbred breeding and racing industry, area horsemen say.
The Piedmont Journal Recorder
(March 2, 2026)
Seventh District Congressman Eugene Vindman came to the region Thursday and Friday, bearing gifts from Congress to the tune of $3.242 million for community projects in Greene, Madison, and Orange counties. In Greene, the county government received the largest amount allotted to the four projects in the counties – $1,092,000 – to address critical longstanding water infrastructure deficiencies in Stanardsville. The project will also strengthen water service to government and school facilities, businesses, and residents and ensure future growth and economic development.
The Washington Post
(March 2, 2026)
George Washington University has sold its Virginia Science and Technology Campus to Amazon Data Services, school officials said. The 120-acre Ashburn campus, which includes the university’s nursing school and labs where engineering, physics and chemistry research is done, was founded in 1991 about 25 miles northwest of the school’s downtown Washington location. Juli E. Briskman, a member of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors..., said she was disappointed to hear about the sale. She said under a 2023 zoning ordinance change, that parcel of land would require a special exception to build data centers there.
Loudoun Times-Mirror
(February 26, 2026)
Representatives from western Loudoun towns recently met with county supervisors, staff and Loudoun Water to discuss two proposed water studies. The first, an assessment of town water systems, was spurred by requests from western Loudoun towns for county funding to support their infrastructure, as well as challenges with municipal water systems, according to a meeting presentation shared with the Times-Mirror. The second would be a groundwater study in partnership with Loudoun Water, to gather data from wells in western Loudoun. It comes after a study last year from the Loudoun County Preservation and Conservation Coalition concluded Loudoun’s groundwater supplies are no longer sustainable.
The Piedmont Journal Recorder
(March 2, 2026)
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) announced Monday afternoon it has postponed a public hearing scheduled for that evening due to possible winter weather. The hearing had been scheduled to give neighbors living downstream of Mountain View Nursing Home’s advanced wastewater treatment plan to offer comment. DEQ now will hold the hearing at the county’s administrative auditorium located at 414 N. Main Street in Madison on Monday, March 16.
The Piedmont Journal Recorder
(March 2, 2026)
Seventh District Congressman Eugene Vindman came to the region Thursday and Friday, bearing gifts from Congress to the tune of $3.242 million for community projects in Greene, Madison, and Orange counties. In Greene, the county government received the largest amount allotted to the four projects in the counties – $1,092,000 – to address critical longstanding water infrastructure deficiencies in Stanardsville. The project will also strengthen water service to government and school facilities, businesses, and residents and ensure future growth and economic development.
The Rapidan Register
(March 3, 2026)
The Orange Planning Commission continued work on a data center definition and policy last week. On Monday, town council members voted unanimously to recommend a definition of “data center” to the town council for approval. The definition takes into account the data center definition in state code, but is more general in nature. The regulations and guidelines regarding data centers will be included in the town’s zoning ordinance in a special section on data centers. That section will be written based on the data center policy which the commission has been discussing since last month.
The Piedmont Journal Recorder
(March 2, 2026)
Seventh District Congressman Eugene Vindman came to the region Thursday and Friday, bearing gifts from Congress to the tune of $3.242 million for community projects in Greene, Madison, and Orange counties. In Greene, the county government received the largest amount allotted to the four projects in the counties – $1,092,000 – to address critical longstanding water infrastructure deficiencies in Stanardsville. The project will also strengthen water service to government and school facilities, businesses, and residents and ensure future growth and economic development.
The Piedmont Journal Recorder
(March 1, 2026)
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), in partnership with Orange County, is seeking public feedback on proposed improvement alternatives being considered as part of a transportation study along a segment of U.S. 522 (Zachary Taylor Highway) between the Town of Unionville and the Culpeper County line. This Strategically Targeted Affordable Roadway Solutions (STARS) study is evaluating operational and safety challenges along the corridor, including key intersections at Route 617 (Everona Road) and Route 621 (Pine Stake Road), and Route 611 (Raccoon Ford Road) and Route 636 (River Road). As part of the next phase of the study, the public is invited to review the proposed alternatives and provide input by completing a brief online survey.
Rappahannock News
(March 5, 2026)
Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones has concluded in an opinion to County Attorney Art Goff that Rappahannock County does not have the authority under state law to require homeowners to retrofit existing outdoor lighting to reduce light pollution — but the county may have limited authority to regulate lighting in future residential development through its Zoning Ordinance. The advisory opinion does not change county law but provides legal guidance as the board considers whether to pursue future zoning amendments aimed at protecting Rappahannock’s night skies.
Rappahannock News
(March 4, 2026)
The Rappahannock County Board of Supervisors on Monday unanimously approved a Zoning Ordinance amendment that formally defines “electrical substation” and establishes new special exception permits for its use. The supervisors approved the amendment 5-0 after a short public hearing in which four people spoke in favor of its adoption.
This article features a photo of PEC's Land Use Field Representative - Rappahannock County, Sarah Parmelee, giving verbal comments at the Rappahannock County Board of Supervisors meeting.
Prince William Times
(March 5, 2026)
Despite data centers driving big growth in the City of Manassas’ commercial tax base, homeowners will still pay about $290 more in real estate taxes – and higher utility bills – under the city’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2027. Though the proposed spending plan presented to the city council on Feb. 23 would reduce the real estate tax rate by 2 cents, a 7.3% increase in home values would result in the tax bill increase. Residents and businesses will also see an increase of about 10.5% in their electricity bills and increases in water and sewer rates, also the result of the city’s first data centers coming online.
Prince William Times
(March 4, 2026)
The emerging Innovation Town Center near the George Mason University Manassas campus will soon have an 80-foot data center next door as a result of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors’ decision Tuesday. After a contentious discussion, the board voted 4-3 to allow a 571,000-square-foot data center and another large building on a narrow, 40-acre site along Prince William Parkway near Hornbaker Road. The area is now a mix of woods and open meadows. Board Chair Deshundra Jefferson scolded her fellow supervisors for lacking the courage to say no to another data center project even though they have become largely unpopular with residents.
Smithsonian National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute
(March 4, 2026)
Ecological scientists are collecting more visual and acoustic data than ever before — using drones, satellite imagery, underwater sensors and video recordings to monitor wildlife at unprecedented scale. Artificial intelligence, or AI, models can be trained to rapidly sort through these images in just a fraction of the time. Despite its growing importance, computer vision — a subfield of AI focused on interpreting visual data — is rarely taught in ecology programs. To help close that gap, the Smithsonian–Mason School of Conservation hosted a three-week course called Computer Vision for Ecology at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia.
Virginia Mercury
(March 3, 2026)
In one of the quietest moves yet under Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s administration, the Commonwealth Transportation Board overturned a controversial decision made in the final weeks of former Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s tenure that would affect the future of a dilapidated 50-mile rail corridor in the Shenandoah. The board’s Feb. 17 decision now continues the process of exploring whether the corridor will be restored with a parallel trail or remain as a trail alone.
Richmond Times-Dispatch
(March 5, 2026)
An energy infrastructure developer is eyeing 205 acres of land south of Kings Dominion to build data centers and power generation and battery storage. New Jersey-based LS Power applied for a conditional use permit at 10165 Old Ridge Road in December that would allow for data centers at the site. The firm also applied for a special exception to allow buildings up to 85 feet tall. Paperwork filed with the application also shows plans to include a GE Vernova LM6000 gas turbine. The jet engine-derived design can generate 40 to 50 megawatts of electricity.
WTKR
(March 4, 2026)
Virginia lawmakers are moving forward with legislation designed to prepare workers for offshore wind jobs as part of a broader effort to strengthen the state’s coastal economy. House Bill 67, sponsored by Del. Michael Feggans, D-Virginia Beach, directs the Virginia Department of Energy to identify and develop workforce training resources tailored specifically for offshore wind. The bill aims to prepare Virginians for jobs in turbine manufacturing, installation, operations and maintenance as offshore wind development accelerates along the coast.
CBS 19 News
(March 4, 2026)
A subcommittee in the Virginia House of Delegates on Wednesday halted two Senate bills aimed at examining whether large electricity users such as data centers could shift power grid costs onto other customers. The House Labor and Commerce Subcommittee #3 voted to continue Senate Bill 339 to the 2027 session and table Senate Bill 619, according to records from the Virginia Legislative Information System. Both bills had previously passed the Senate.
Canary Media
(March 3, 2026)
An upheaval is underway in the nation’s electricity sector, and Virginia is ground zero. As the data center capital of the world, the state faces surging demand, ballooning utility bills, and a bottlenecked grid — all challenges that policymakers are navigating while maintaining a legally mandated course toward carbon neutrality.
The Daily Progress
(March 3, 2026)
Every year, the Wildlife Center of Virginia cares for thousands of wild animals from across the state at its veterinary teaching hospital in Waynesboro. But last year was record-setting: More bald eagles were hospitalized at the center than in any other year since its founding in 1982. In 2025, the center reported taking in 76 bald eagles. Of those, 53 — close to 70% — tested positive and were treated for lead poisoning.
Environment Virginia
(March 3, 2026)
One of Appalachia’s most significant annual ecological events has begun, or is soon to begin, in the forests near you. The spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum), which can be found in virtually every corner of Virginia’s forests, wetlands and ponds, has begun its annual migration back to the vernal pools in which they were born to breed. Populations of these colorful creatures are at risk: Road development fragments salamander habitats, and there are not enough crossings for salamanders to safely migrate through.
Loudoun Now
(March 2, 2026)
Three pieces of legislation introduce by Del. David Reid (D-28) and Del. JJ Singh (D-26) are advancing to Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s desk for a final action after receiving approval from both the House and the Senate. Reid’s HB 369 extend incentives already available for some types of generation in renewable energy programs to zero carbon electricity. The goal is to further incentivize clean energy. HB 562 authorizes electric co-ops to establish virtual power plant programs. A virtual power plant is a network of energy sources that can act as a single power plant in times of peak energy demand to help reduce the strain on the power grid.
ABC 8 News
(March 2, 2026)
A bill that would require the Virginia Board of Education to help local school boards with instructional materials on climate change and environmental literacy passed the Senate on Monday. The Virginia Senate on Monday, Mar. 2, passed House Bill 1037 21-19, a little over a month after patron Betsy Carr (D-District 78) reintroduced the bill on Jan. 14. The bill is identical to failed House Bill 1088 from 2024, which passed the General Assembly in 2024 and was vetoed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R).
ABC 8 News
(March 2, 2026)
Virginians are being urged to learn about their flood risk and protect themselves with flood insurance during Flood Awareness Week. The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is recognizing Flood Awareness Week, which takes place from March 8 to March 14. According to DCR, flooding is the most common and costly natural disaster — yet only 3% of Virginians carry flood insurance.
Inside Climate News
(March 4, 2026)
President Donald Trump was expected on Wednesday to sign his “Ratepayer Protection Pledge,” a deal he claims to have negotiated with major tech companies for data centers to pay their own energy costs. But he hasn’t disclosed details on how his plan would work or what roles Congress and state electricity regulators would play. Trump’s announcement coincides with his push to win the global race to develop artificial intelligence. That computing power for that competition comes from data centers. Data centers are energy intensive, requiring new electricity generation, transmission and distribution grid upgrades, with costs that have to date already been paid by ordinary residential utility customers.
The Hill
(March 4, 2026)
Major tech firms Google, Microsoft, Meta, Oracle, xAI, OpenAI, and Amazon have agreed to sign onto the “Ratepayer Protection Pledge,” the White House said Wednesday, describing the pact as an agreement to build, bring or buy new power to support their data centers in order to prevent higher electricity costs for consumers. The move comes as concerns mount over data centers’ impact on customer electricity rates. While providing their own power could help defray some of the potential price impacts for consumers, Trump did not specify in his Wednesday remarks how the government would hold Big Tech companies to the pledge.
The Guardian
(March 2, 2026)
For decades, administering small towns and communities in the US largely centered on zoning amendments, fixing roads and ensuring that trash was collected. But today, the emerging presence of datacenter developments is creating a vicious new divide between local administrators and the residents they are elected to represent. In small towns across the US, residents are accusing local representatives of a wave of issues that range from failing to listen to public concern and profiting from the presence of datacenters, resulting in a deepening distrust in local government.
The Washington Post
(March 2, 2026)
A growing number of prominent Trump allies are promoting solar as electricity demand surges and energy affordability climbs the list of voter concerns. Their clean energy advocacy may be having an impact, as the White House signals it is reconsidering power from the sun. The tone of Trump himself has even changed. It reflects a realization taking hold more broadly among Republicans that solar power — long embraced by liberals — is increasingly indispensable to America’s bid to dominate AI, close a yawning “electron gap” with China and contain runaway residential electricity costs.
The Wall Street Journal
(March 1, 2026)
Early last year, a cluster of data centers in Virginia suddenly dropped off the power grid, threatening the stability of the already vulnerable system. The roughly 40 data centers, which had been using enough electricity to supply more than one million homes, simultaneously switched to backup power sources in February 2025...
The Wall Street Journal
(February 26, 2026)
Pollution from U.S. power plants rose last year, a rare uptick in an otherwise long-term downward trend, partly because of more coal being burned to generate electricity. Levels of sulfur dioxide emitted from power-plant stacks were up about 18%, with nitrogen oxide up 7% and carbon dioxide up 4%, according to an analysis of publicly available Environmental Protection Agency data viewed by The Wall Street Journal. The rise in emissions comes as President Trump has promoted the use of coal and worked to unwind Biden-era environmental regulations. Earlier this month, the EPA reversed a finding that carbon dioxide poses a risk to public health and welfare.
The Washington Post
(February 27, 2026)
Two applications under review by the Federal Communications Commission would, if fully implemented, fundamentally remake the night sky. But the FCC appears to have fast-tracked approval without much of a pause to weigh the benefits of these proposals against the harms they could cause to life on the planet. A start-up called Reflect Orbital proposes to use large, mirrored satellites to redirect sunlight to Earth at night, with plans to bathe solar farms, industrial sites and even entire cities in light that could, if desired, reach the intensity of daylight. At the same time, Elon Musk’s SpaceX wants to launch as many as a million satellites to serve as orbiting data centers — 70 times the number of satellites now in orbit.
