The Virginia General Assembly meets annually, beginning on the second Wednesday in January, for 60 days in even-numbered years and 30 days in odd-numbered years, with an option to extend annual sessions for a maximum of 30 days. Because the General Assembly moves very fast, PEC tracks a number of bills and provides comments throughout each session. Please sign up for our email alerts and follow us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter for the most recent updates.
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More than 50 organizations across Virginia, including PEC, have formed the Virginia Data Center Reform Coalition to urge state lawmakers to study the cumulative effects of data center development across Virginia, and to institute several reforms for the industry. If the Virginia General Assembly fails to take action, unchecked data center expansion will have a disastrous impact on ratepayers, our communities and the environment.
Four pillars make up the framework of the Coalition’s advocacy for responsible action and robust reform. In 2025, several bills were introduced to the Virginia General Assembly thanks to direct legislative and community mobilization action from organizations like PEC and our partners. Read more about the Four Pillars and related data center legislation this General Assembly session in our post.
2026 Data Center Reform Lobby Day When: Monday, Feb. 9, 2026 Where: Richmond, VA Info: Join PEC and the Data Center Reform Coalition for our 2026 Lobby Day, where you’ll have the chance to meet face-to-face with state lawmakers and urge them to take action on the unchecked, exponential growth of data centers in Virginia. Learn more and register →
HB 508 / SB 340 defines “agrivoltaics,” as it pertains to small renewable energy projects, as “the intentional co-location of agricultural production and solar energy generation on the same land …
The Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) supports HB1515, introduced by Delegate Irene Shin last Friday. This bill aligns with PEC’s data center reform efforts to pause approvals of hyperscale data center proposals …
We believe that passing HB155/SB619 is the single most important step Virginia can take this year to ensure a smarter digital future. Please use our advocacy page to send a letter to your state legislators …
Virginia is undergoing an unprecedented economic, technological, and environmental transformation, all centered around the activities of one industry: data centers …
The outsized impacts of data centers in our communities will again make data center reform a priority for PEC and our partners in the Virginia Data Center Reform Coalition during this year’s Virginia General Assembly …
The Piedmont Environmental Council and the Coalition for Smarter Growth are proud to have co-authored six of the 47 briefing papers in Virginia Conservation Network’s Our 2026 Common Agenda Environmental Briefing Book …
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 …
The Virginia General Assembly will convene for a 60-day session beginning Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. PEC staff have co-authored several briefing papers that form the framework of the Virginia Conservation Network’s legislative priorities. Below, we …
In the pre-dawn hours in a Haymarket parking lot, a few dozen people huddled in record cold temperatures as they made their way to the warm glow of a charter bus. Their destination: Richmond. Their …