On August 10, 2022 the local citizen group Protect Fauquier and nonprofit organizations Citizens for Fauquier County and Piedmont Environmental Council hosted a community town hall to highlight our concerns regarding the data center and its broader impacts and to share actions residents can take to oppose the proposal.
Energy Matters
PEC works toward energy solutions that emphasize efficiency first, use appropriate technologies for the 21st Century and respect the scenic and historic character of the Piedmont.
Takeaways from the July 26 Planning Commission Work Session
More questions and concerns regarding Amazon’s special use permit application for a data center at Blackwell Road in Warrenton.
Three local groups unite against proposed Amazon data center and associated transmission line
The local citizen group Protect Fauquier and nonprofit organizations Citizens For Fauquier County (CFFC) and The Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) are united against Amazon’s proposed data center project near Blackwell Road. The data center would sit at the northern gateway into Warrenton, along with a new Dominion electric substation, and would require miles of new high voltage transmission lines supported by 110-feet-tall steel towers, according to Dominion Energy.
Utility-Scale Solar
Over the past few years, the declining cost of solar panels, coupled with rising demand for green energy sources has spurred interest in the development of utility-scale solar facilities throughout Virginia. These facilities are often located in rural areas, consume numerous acres (many are well over 1000 acres) and are incorrectly referred to as solar farms. They have many of the same environmental benefits as rooftop solar. However, they more resemble light industrial sites and it is proving difficult at best to protect our natural, cultural, and historic resources from poorly sited facilities.
Ratepayer-funded subsidy for Amazon and Dominion?
Following up on our June email alert regarding the Amazon data center proposed in Warrenton; responses to our Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to the Town of Warrenton and Fauquier County.
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.
Data Center and Transmission Line Updates
Amazon filed an application for a data center with the Town of Warrenton; Dominion is moving forward with public meetings.
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.
PEC Calls on U.S. Senators To Stop Mountain Valley Pipeline
On Earth Day, The Piedmont Environmental Council joined 24 groups and 17 members of the General Assembly in a letter to U.S. Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner unequivocally outlining the environmental and social justice impacts of the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP).