This week, American Rivers released its 2026 list of most endangered rivers, and the Potomac River leads the list, due in large part to uncontrolled data center growth throughout the watershed.
Press Center
Please address general press inquiries to Cindy Sabato at [email protected] or 540-347-2334 x7021 — or to the point of contact listed in a specific press release. You can also get in touch with PEC on twitter: @piedmontenviron.
The Piedmont Environmental Council Celebrates New Legislation Supporting Sustainable Energy
The Piedmont Environmental Council is delighted to announce that 12 solution-oriented energy bills that PEC either authored, informed, and advocated for have been adopted into Virginia law.
Virginia Piedmont Protects 5,552 Acres in 2025
In 2025, landowners and conservation organizations in The Piedmont Environmental Council’s nine-county region conserved over 4,178 acres through conservation easements. The Conservation Fund’s purchase of Oak Hill in Loudoun County and the Virginia Outdoors Foundation’s acquisition for the Bull Run Mountain Natural Areas Preserve added another 1,374 acres.
PEC statement on Prince William Digital Gateway latest legal win
The recent ruling by the Virginia Court of Appeals against the Prince William Digital Gateway, in favor of the citizen-backed lawsuits attempting to block it, is another example of the growing grassroots power of Virginians pushing back against uncontrolled data center development.
The Piedmont Environmental Council Awarded $11,000 Grant to Bring Agrivoltaics to Low-income Urban Communities
PEC has received an $11,000 grant from the Land Trust Alliance and Open Space Institute to help launch an initiative to develop agrivoltaics projects for urban and low-income communities. Agrivoltaics combines food production with on-site clean energy generation on the same plot of land.
The Piedmont Environmental Council to Host Annual Bluebell Walk
The Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) will hold its 23rd Annual Bluebell Walk Sunday, March 29 from 1-3 p.m. along the banks of the Cedar Run at Bonny Brook Farm in Catlett, Virginia.
Press Release: General Assembly Budget Conferees Need to Invest in Quality of Life, Not Big Tech
The Piedmont Environmental Council supports eliminating, or substantially limiting the sales tax credit on data center equipment, to increase revenues available to make life more affordable for Virginia’s families.
Press Release: New Study Finds On-Site Power at Virginia Data Center Could Result in $53 Million–$99 Million in Annual Health Damages
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.
Piedmont Mobility Alliance Convenes Summit to Advocate for Better Community Access to the Great Outdoors
The Piedmont Mobility Alliance will convene the sixth annual Active Mobility Summit on March 5 and 6 to focus on the economic and social benefits of public access to the great outdoors.
Data Center Reform is at the Finish Line: Will the General Assembly Get it Done?
Two important data center reform bills, SB619 and SB339 survived crossover – bringing the General Assembly that much closer to passing real data center reform legislation.