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.
Bay Journal
(May 1, 2026)
Kate St. John hoped to catch a largemouth bass as she sat by the James River only paces away from the Joshua Falls electrical substation just east of Lynchburg, VA. A proposed transmission line from that substation could cut through her parents’ property. They’re debating moving out of the home they’ve had for generations. Hundreds of landowners are facing similar tough decisions.
This article quotes Piedmont Environmental Council Sr. Energy Policy Analyst Michael Barber.
Richmond Times-Dispatch
(May 1, 2026)
Data centers kept lining up to plug into Virginia’s grid in the first three months of the year, telling Dominion Energy they wanted enough electricity to power 625,000 homes. That brings the total of future data center demand for electricity to 51,000 megawatts, Dominion said in materials for a presentation to Wall Street analysts. That’s enough for 12.75 million homes, or roughly four times the total of Virginia households.
Virginia Mercury
(April 29, 2026)
As lawmakers work behind closed doors to finalize the state’s $212 billion budget before the next fiscal year begins in July, negotiations hinge on whether the data center industry’s sales and use tax exemption should end, or continue with new requirements. The Senate version of the budget — arguably the most controversial part of either plan — completely eliminates the 5.6% tax exemption in an attempt to recoup the average annual loss of $1.6 billion in state revenue.
VPM
(April 29, 2026)
A new Virginia law taking effect next year could help residents who can't get rooftop solar adopt carbon-free energy in their homes. It clears the way for renters and more to install plug-in solar panels, often called balcony solar. They're smaller than rooftop panels — under the new law, they can only produce up to 1,200 watts.
Bay Journal
(April 28, 2026)
Water used to practically burst out of the ground when well diggers tapped into an aquifer in eastern Virginia in the 1940s. That’s no longer the case because those natural subterranean reservoirs are now less full. A new study by the state Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) shows that the overall average groundwater levels in the vast Potomac Aquifer serving the eastern part of the state have been falling since 2021.
US News & World Report
(April 28, 2026)
Donna Gallant spent a lot of money on the windows in her house in Bristow, Virginia. But the sound from Google's “Mango Farm” data center complex still penetrates her home. “As somebody who has anxiety, it triggers an anxiety attack in me every time they're doing load testing, to the point where I can't sleep because it literally rocks your core,” Gallant says. Americans who find themselves neighboring data centers have long criticized the accompanying increased energy costs that hurt their wallets. But the expanding presence of these sites may be hurting something else, too – their health.
VegOut
(April 26, 2026)
According to documents filed with the Michigan Public Service Commission and reporting by local outlets, the expansion of a mid-sized poultry processing facility in Central Michigan was put on hold after the local utility informed the company that available grid capacity at the relevant substation had been committed to a hyperscale data center campus under development nearby.
MSN
(April 25, 2026)
Residents of Sterling, Virginia, are fed up with the nearby data center, and the incessant noise is just the beginning of their problems. The Vantage data center is the only one in Virginia powered by gas turbines, which is the source of the non-stop buzzing sound that has been tormenting residents in the surrounding area.
This article quotes Piedmont Environmental Council Land Use Director Julie Bolthouse.
Virginia Mercury
(April 24, 2026)
Data centers — proposed beside town centers, on generational farmlands, in view of cemeteries and next to Civil War battlegrounds across Virginia — are testing local governments’ ability to regulate industrial land use.
The article quotes Piedmont Environmental Council President Chris Miller and Land Use Field Representative Sarah Parmelee.
Southern Alliance for Clean Energy
(April 23, 2026)
Solar and agriculture have long been cast as competitors for land. But a growing number of farmers, grazers, and land conservation advocates across the country are proving that the two can coexist. In fact, putting solar and agriculture side by side, or even one on top of the other, can be one of the most powerful tools available to help keep American farms alive.
This article highlights the Piedmont Environmental Council's crop-based agrivoltaics project at its Community Farm at Roundabout Meadows.
Fauquier Times
(April 29, 2026)
Bright green shoots and leaves had already sprouted from grapevines across Chris Pearmund’s Broad Run vineyard by April 20 after spells of warm spring weather ushered in early bud breaks. But come the next morning, the once-healthy, promising buds hung lifeless and gnarled after freezing overnight temperatures swept across Virginia, reaching as low as 27 degrees in Fauquier County.
Information Charlottesville
(April 30, 2026)
The Charlottesville region has an extensive biking community and there are several programs intended to encourage more people to try out the transportation mode. Friday marks the beginning of Bike Month with involvement from the city, Albemarle County, and the University of Virginia.
Charlottesville Tomorrow
(April 30, 2026)
For the past three years, Joy Johnson and her Westhaven neighbors have met every other week to plan their community’s redevelopment. They’ve decided on the pitch of their porch roofs and where plants and playgrounds will go. They’ve added more units, and a building specifically for seniors, so that more people can live in their neighborhood.
C-VILLE Weekly
(April 29, 2026)
The Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia projects that more than 137,000 people will call Albemarle County home by 2040, or about 18,000 more than their estimate for July 2026.
C-VILLE Weekly
(April 29, 2026)
There is a trend of late in Albemarle County for developers to return to the Community Development Department to amend previous rezonings and request that commercial space be swapped out for more residential units.
The Winchester Star
(April 16, 2026)
Volunteers planted approximately 200 new trees at Clermont Farm on Wednesday to improve its wildlife habitat and the quality of the water in a stream running through the historic property. The event was coordinated by the nonprofit Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC). It was part of Earth Day, a worldwide observance focused on protecting and sustaining the environment.
This article features a recent Piedmont Environmental Council tree-planting program.
Culpeper Times
(April 30, 2026)
Town of Culpeper electric customers will see a significant jump in their utility bills next month due to rising fuel costs. For the average residential customer in Culpeper using 1,000 kWh per month, this adjustment translates to an average monthly increase of $24.28, the town said in a news release. The new rates will take effect on bills dated after May 1.
Culpeper Star-Exponent
(April 30, 2026)
A wildly popular prehistoric program, Culpeper County's DinoWalk is back for another exciting two-day experience in a local quarry. Lucky ticket holders will get the chance later this spring to explore the largest quantity of fossilized dinosaur footprints discovered in North America.
Culpeper Star-Exponent
(April 29, 2026)
Aging Together is pleased to announce the 5 Over 65 honorees for 2026, including Brandy Station’s own Eugene Triplett—a familiar face in giving back. One person from each of the region’s five counties is chosen for the award recognizing sensational senior adults.
This article hightlights Culpeper resident Eugene Triplett, who is also a member of the Piedmont Environmental Council Board of Directors.
Fauquier Now
(April 30, 2026)
The Warrenton Planning Commission Tuesday opted to move to a public hearing on a proposed zoning ordinance change that would make life easier for prospective hotels of up to 40 rooms in the town’s business district.
Fauquier Now
(April 29, 2026)
Raeid Ebrahim, the newest appointee to Warrenton’s Planning Commission, is a busy man.
Aside from his new gig, the 20-year-old is a law student at George Washington University, a frequent speaker at town meetings and has a summer internship lined up with the Fauquier County public defender’s office.
Loudoun Times-Mirror
(May 1, 2026)
Standing on a low bridge over the Beaverdam Reservoir, Bella Trimner pointed out an eagle overhead. The spring day was hot and sunny, good weather for being outside, and the shores of the reservoir were ringed with green foliage.
Loudoun Now
(May 1, 2026)
Toll Road Investors Partnership II, the company that owns the Dulles Greenway, has filed an application with the State Corporation Commission to increase rates during peak and off-peak hours. The application requests a 95-cent increase for two-axle vehicles during peak times from the current cost of $5.80, and a 35-cent increase during off-peak times over the existing $5.25.
Loudoun Times-Mirror
(April 30, 2026)
Loudoun County is planning a new park next to Lightridge High School, but some locals are asking for adjustments to the design. The county Planning Commission voted 8-0-1 (Algonkian Commissioner James Banks Jr. was absent) at its last public hearing on April 28 to discuss the project application during a work session. Commissioners said the park is needed, but they wanted to see some tweaks based on resident concerns.
Loudoun Now
(April 30, 2026)
The Town of Leesburg’s Treesburg Initiative will hold its spring tree giveaway on Saturday at Ida Lee Park.
Starting at 9 a.m. Leesburg residents may pick up a free tree from volunteers in the park’s event parking area. The event will run through 1 p.m. or until the supply runs out. Early pickup is encouraged.
Loudoun Now
(April 30, 2026)
The Department of Environmental Quality has launched an air quality monitoring program that provides real-time results across Loudoun’s data center alley – the world’s largest concentration of data centers. Concerns surrounding air quality impacts of data centers in the region have largely been led by the Piedmont Environmental Council, which commissioned an air quality study earlier this year on impacts of a Vantage data center in Sterling that is powered by natural gas turbines.
This article quotes Piedmont Environmental Council President Chris Miller.
Loudoun Times-Mirror
(April 29, 2026)
At a Loudoun County Chamber event on housing affordability this week, Dennis Shea described the local housing situation bluntly: Loudoun County has an issue. Nationally, the median sales price for a home was $405,300 at the end of 2025, according to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. In Loudoun, the average home was listed in the high $700,000 range for the last four months of 2025, and was up to nearly $850,000 in March 2026.
Loudoun Times-Mirror
(April 29, 2026)
The Loudoun Valley Estates Homeowners' Association and the HOA Roundtable are asking the State Corporation Commission to reconsider its decision on the Golden to Mars transmission line route through Ashburn. The SCC decided on an above-ground route from Dominion Energy on April 9, but LVE and other Loudoun players had been pushing for an underground option instead. They filed a petition to reconsider on April 29.
Loudoun Times-Mirror
(April 28, 2026)
Loudoun County Public Schools is expanding student participation in reducing its environmental footprint. The sustainability plan is part of a 2020 board resolution to reduce climate change. Seipt said LCPS is one of the few school divisions in the nation with a climate change resolution.
Loudoun Now
(April 22, 2026)
Loudoun supervisors last night approved design plans for a passive park at the former Westpark Golf Course in Leesburg. Those plans include an 18-hole disc golf course. During the public comment period, a speaker opposing the disc golf course brought in a disc golf basket to show the board the noise generated from a frisbee hitting the chains.
The Rapidan Register
(April 27, 2026)
After months of discussion, the Town of Orange has a new data center definition in its zoning ordinance. Orange Director of Community Development Debbie Sturm said the definition was created to be broad and replaces the former definition which was “inconsistent with current data center function and purpose.”
This article mentions The Piedmont Environmental Council, which advised the town in this effort.
Rappahannock News
(April 30, 2026)
Waterpenny Farm will host its 25th annual Spring Plant Sale on Saturday, May 2, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Sperryville. Shenandoah National Park will celebrate spring wildflowers during its 40th annual Wildflower Weekend on Saturday, May 2 and Sunday, May 3. The magic of the Virginia Piedmont was on full display April 22 as members of the community gathered at LeFay Cottage at Little Washington to celebrate Earth Day and the flourishing growth of the LeFay Enchanted Circle.
Fauquier Now
(May 1, 2026)
QTS, one of two data center developer-defendants in the initial PW Digital Gateway legal challenges, filed an eleventh-hour appeal to the Virginia Supreme Court around 9 p.m. Thursday.
Following the decision by Compass Datacenters late Tuesday to bow out from further appeals, its counterparts at QTS are pressing forward with a petition to the commonwealth's highest court.
Prince William Times
(April 30, 2026)
Lisa Park, who lives on Reid Lane in Nokesville, has recently been besieged by calls and texts asking her if she wants to sell her property. She says her neighbors are getting the same calls, and letters too. Behind these efforts is Corey Stewart, who held Prince William County’s top elected post for 13 years, from 2006 to 2019. He is joined by a sitting school board member and others with ties to local politics or the county’s most famous data center project: the Prince William Digital Gateway.
CoStar
(April 29, 2026)
A division of Brookfield Corp. that develops data centers has dropped out of a large project in northern Virginia after encountering community opposition and state government resistance to providing tax incentives.
This article mentions The Piedmont Environmental Council.
Bethesda Magazine
(April 27, 2026)
Dozens of residents who live in Silver Spring’s Four Corners, Northwood and Burnt Mills neighborhoods say they are strongly opposed to Montgomery County Department of Transportation’s (MCDOT) plans to construct 5 miles of bus rapid transit (BRT) lanes in the median of U.S. Route 29, also called Colesville Road, according to testimony provided to the Planning Board.
This article quotes Bill Pugh of the Coalition for Smarter Growth, an arm of The Piedmont Environmental Council.
FFX Now
(April 26, 2026)
A California-based operator making its first foray into the D.C. region applied earlier this year for a special exception that would allow it to replace the existing, “groaning” office buildings at 7990 and 7980 Quantum Drive with a “completely modernized” data center. The buildings would be also located just 107 to 131 feet away from the Reserve at Tysons Corner apartments to the south and the Heritage Point Townhouses to the west — under the county’s 200-foot minimum setback for data centers from residential areas.
WHSV
(April 27, 2026)
The Shenandoah Valley Conservancy, the Alliance for the Shenandoah Valley, and the Potomac Conservancy announced the selection of a cohort of emerging conservation professionals who will support critical land, water, and community conservation efforts throughout the region.
The Winchester Star
(April 23, 2026)
A "Community Information Exchange" with "more information" on data centers will be held by the Frederick County government on Thursday, May 7, at 6:30 p.m. at James Wood High School, according to a media release from the county. The format will be "question and answer."
This article mentions The Piedmont Environmental Council, which will be part of the panel.
The Northern Virginia Daily
(April 21, 2026)
The Frederick County Historic Resources Advisory Board (HRAB) has recommended the denial of a conditional-use permit (CUP) for a 72-acre data center campus in the Kernstown area south of Winchester.
Politico
(April 30, 2026)
Mountain Valley informed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in a letter Wednesdaythat “it intends to resume work” on the MVP Southgate project for its Virginia facilities, notifying the agency on the same day the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals opted not to halt that work as litigation plays out.
Virginia Mercury
(April 30, 2026)
Dominion Energy’s annual rate case in September prompted concerns from data centers about how fast the utility connects their industry to the grid. The State Corporation Commission has now ordered a case specifically so the company can explain their rationale for timing when data centers hook up to transmission lines.
The Virginian-Pilot
(April 30, 2026)
Wineries across much of Virginia lost significant portions of their grape crops last week after a destructive freeze, setting back an already struggling industry and resulting in gaps in the availability of some local wines from 2026 starting next spring.
Cardinal News
(April 29, 2026)
The technology is anticipated to improve grid reliability and save the utilities millions of dollars over the next 20 years by reducing how much they pay to deliver power during the highest-demand times.
Inside Climate News
(April 29, 2026)
Gov. Abigail Spanberger sought additional ratepayer protections. Without them she must consider assigning costs to data centers, continuing a utility profit-boosting program.
Farmville Herald
(April 28, 2026)
Buckingham County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution Thursday, April 23, opposing the proposed Valley Link high-voltage transmission line that is proposed to cross the county.
Rappahannock News
(April 28, 2026)
Virginia’s love affair with data centers is experiencing turbulence. The chief disrupter isn’t a wave of angry neighbors or land conservationists, but L. Louise Lucas, a determined 82-year-old Democratic state senator from Portsmouth, Va., who has pledged to undo a $1.9 billion tax break that helped entice the tech giants to plant some 600 centers in the state.
This article quotes Piedmont Environmental Council Sr. Advisor John McCarthy.
Canary Media
(April 28, 2026)
As data centers drive electricity demand to new heights and consumers struggle with rising energy costs, cheap, clean power remains out of reach in much of Virginia: Nearly two-thirds of counties outright ban or severely restrict large solar farms. Now, those blanket restrictions are going away, though counties can still bar individual projects.
This article mentions The Piedmont Environmental Council.
ABC 13 News
(April 27, 2026)
While Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger was in Roanoke on Monday, signing bills, her visit also drew protests.
Protesters traveled from Botetourt County, where a new Google data center was recently approved. They say they are concerned about the impact of Virginia’s data center sales tax exemption.
Richmond Times-Dispatch
(April 26, 2026)
ong before Virginia became a colony, Indigenous nations lived on and governed the land. The state’s semiquincentennial observance opened with that history front and center, bringing Native American tribes to the stage as the first voices for VA250’s celebration of the nation’s founding.
Richmond Times-Dispatch
(April 24, 2026)
General Assembly budget leaders finally have something to agree on: they want an additional $1.6 billion from Virginia data centers over the next two years, one way or another. But that informal agreement between Senate Finance Chair Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, and House Appropriations Chairman Luke Torian, D-Prince William, doesn't mean a deal anytime soon on a new two-year state budget.
WDBJ
(April 22, 2026)
“It would be great to have more transparency and disclosure and talking to us,” said Andy Kegley, head of Reserve Wythe. “Data center development, not just in Wythe County, but throughout the state, if not the country, is putting undue pressures on water, electricity and land.”
Liberty Nation News
(May 1, 2026)
Communities across the United States are pushing back against data centers, citing the strain on natural resources and other local disruptions, as tech companies race to build digital infrastructure to support artificial intelligence projects. Data center development has become a household concern, and with the midterms on the horizon, voters are already taking action against politicians who back the computing facilities.
This article quotes Piedmont Environmental Council Land Use Director Julie Bolthouse.
Governing.com
(May 1, 2026)
The U.S. is entering a new era of energy demand. An aging grid is already under strain from more frequent extreme weather and rising energy needs from artificial intelligence data centers that use as much power as entire cities.
Yet it’s a moment of incredible opportunity to grow the nation’s economy while driving investment in clean, affordable and resilient solutions.
The New York Times
(May 1, 2026)
Americans have soured on data centers, polls show, and the sentiment is profoundly bipartisan. How that will change our politics?
UVA Today
(May 1, 2026)
A clutch of states is trying to limit or ban data centers, giant operations known for their massive energy and water consumption. The National Conference of State Legislators puts the number at 14. Closer to home, Northern Virginia is widely considered the data center capital of the world, with the largest concentration of facilities anywhere. UVA Today turned to two legal experts, University of Virginia School of Law professors Richard Schragger and Cale Jaffe, to learn more about states’ pushback and the situation in Virginia.
The Hill
(April 28, 2026)
Artificial Intelligence holds the promise to improve life on the planet almost beyond description, such as developing new cancer therapies, but breakneck development of the data centers that run AI (along with more mundane applications from gambling to porn to cat videos) has spurred a grass-roots political backlash that is growing and could be a major factor in this year’s elections.
Washington Examiner
(April 26, 2026)
A growing movement across the country aims to restrict data center developments because of fears about their use of energy, water consumption, and noise pollution.
The Wall Street Journal
(April 25, 2026)
After people in this St. Louis suburb voted out four local council members who supported plans for a new data center, dozens of residents packed City Hall to make clear they weren’t done.
American Farm Bureau Federation
(April 23, 2026)
Farmland is the foundation of agricultural production and a generational asset for farm families. Once converted to industrial use, it is rarely returned to production. In regions experiencing rapid development, the cumulative loss of prime farmland is a growing concern.
Wired
(April 22, 2026)
As tech companies race to secure massive power deals to build out hundreds of data centers across the country, these projects represent just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the potential climate cost of the AI boom.
Politico
(April 22, 2026)
Democratic candidates in battleground districts across the country are embracing a left-wing proposal to halt the development of data centers nationwide, pushing incumbents to weigh more aggressive postures...
Democracy Now
(April 22, 2026)
The artificial intelligence industry’s data center boom is the latest chapter in a long history of environmental racism and resource exploitation in vulnerable Native communities, says Oglala Lakota and Northern Cheyenne activist Krystal Two Bulls, the executive director of Honor the Earth, an Indigenous-led environmental justice organization that is tracking over 100 proposed data center projects on tribal and rural lands.
Heatmap
(April 21, 2026)
Data center battles only recently overtook wind turbines, driven by the sudden spike in backlash to data center development over the past year. It’s indicative of how the intensity of the angst over big tech infrastructure...
