Although DEQ’s proposed variance for data center diesel generator has been pulled, the underlying issue remains: Is this continued boom in data center development sustainable?
Julie Bolthouse
Julie Bolthouse is The Piedmont Environmental Council's land use field representative for Fauquier County.
Update on DEQ’s air quality variance for data centers
The variance would allow backup diesel generators to run more frequently this coming summer.
Take Action: The Air We Breathe Is at Risk
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is considering adopting a variance that would allow the data center industry to run backup diesel generators for longer and more frequent periods of time from March to July – allowing them to circumvent Virginia’s air pollution control laws that limit dangerous pollutants and emissions.
Key updates before tomorrow’s public hearing on the Amazon data center
Ask Warrenton to deny Amazon’s proposed data center.
Be there on Nov. 1: “Digital Gateway” Board of Supervisors Public Hearing
With recommendation of approval from both the Prince William County staff and Planning Commission, the “PW Digital Gateway” Comprehensive Plan Amendment is set for public hearing by the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, November 1, 2022. This is a critical moment for the County and the entire region.
“PW Digital Gateway” Public Hearing on Sept. 14
The countdown toward one of the most important decisions for the future of Prince William County, and the region as a whole, has begun. The Prince William County Planning Commission has scheduled a public hearing on the Digital Gateway Comprehensive Plan Amendment this coming Wednesday, Sept. 14.
Amazon and Dominion Set Sights on Warrenton
Two of the biggest corporate interests in Virginia have eyes on Warrenton. Late in 2021, Amazon bought a 41-acre parcel for a potential new data center, and has since submitted a “load letter” to Dominion Energy.
Regional traffic congestion, pollution in the Occoquan?
Last November, PEC wrote about the threats posed to Prince William County’s long-standing Rural Crescent by three major land use decisions.
Prince William County Considers Land Use Changes That Encourage Sprawl
Prince William County is evaluating three different land use changes that would introduce industrial and residential sprawl into the Rural Crescent, to the detriment of water quality, wildlife habitat, agriculture, historic resources, tourism and the rural atmosphere.
Historic Thoroughfare At Risk
Currently facing development pressures, Thoroughfare is a historic African American community founded by formerly enslaved people that lies along Rt. 55 in western Prince William County at the edge of Haymarket.