This week marks a critical moment in the General Assembly for data center reform legislation. Despite the introduction of more than 50 bills related to oversight, transparency, ratepayer protections and mitigation, General Assembly leadership appears once again unwilling to advance legislation that addresses all of the issues facing the state.
PEC
Riparian Buffers
Riparian buffers are vegetated or forested transitional zones between land and water resources, such as streams, rivers, lakes, ponds or wetlands.
TedX Talk: 3 Ways to Find the Radical Middle with PEC’s Ashish Kapoor
PEC’s Senior Energy & Climate Advisor, Ashish Kapoor, gave a talk at TedX Warrenton about three ways to find the radical middle when navigating views across social and political spectrums.
Elizabeth Ransom
Elizabeth Ransom joined the PEC communications team as the Media & Public Relations Specialist in January 2026, motivated to contribute to PEC’s mission to protect and restore the lands and waters of the Virginia Piedmont. Previously, Elizabeth led Persuasive PR, a small business providing communications and public relations support to clients including Virginia parks authority NOVA Parks.
Support Agrivoltaics Bill HB 508 / SB 340
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…
Emily Stern
Emily joined PEC in 2026 as the Conservation Field Representative for Rappahannock County.
Michael Barber
Michael joined the PEC team in 2026. He graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University’s Center for Environmental Studies, where he interned with the University Sustainability Office and helped track energy, waste and emissions data.
Proposed Leesburg Gateway Amendment Would Allow Data Center Development Near Neighborhoods
The Leesburg Gateway data center developer has proposed an amendment to the Town Plan that would allow for data center & warehouse development close to residential neighborhoods in the town gateway…
Virginia Conservation Network’s Our 2026 Common Agenda Environmental Briefing Book
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…
Why Dominion is Trying to Kill Small-Scale Solar – Webinar Recording
On Dec. 8, 2025, the Piedmont Environmental Council hosted and recorded a webinar on net metering – the fundamental billing structure that makes small-scale solar financially viable for homeowners, businesses and farmers – and Dominion Energy’s attempt to weaken it.