Virginia is home to the largest concentration of data centers in the world, widely cited as hosting 70% of global internet traffic. This massive industry is continuing to grow very fast, requiring huge amounts of energy, land, and water to operate, resulting in widespread community impacts.
Transmission
The Piedmont Environmental Council has some experience dealing with Dominion and transmission line proposals through our region. In 2006 and 2008, utilities proposed two unnecessary high-voltage transmission lines that would connect to the oldest and dirtiest coal-fired generation in the United States. Learn more about the TrAIL line (approved and built) and the PATH line (turned down). More recently, a series of projects has been proposed, each with its own set of details and impacts.
Town Planning Commission to Vote on Copper Ridge Data Center Campus on Aug. 15
The public hearing is still open for public comment!
Copper Ridge Data Center Rezoning Tabled Until August 15
The Town of Culpeper Planning Commission moved to hold any decision on the rezoning application until its next regular meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 15 at 6 p.m.
Updates on the Copper Ridge Data Center Campus proposal
On Thursday, June 29, the Town Planning Commission held a nearly two-hour-long work session reviewing new documents from the Copper Ridge Data Center Campus and questioning the applicant.
Yet Another Data Center in Culpeper?
The Culpeper Town Planning Commission is holding a work session on the Copper Ridge application on June 29 at 9 a.m.
Amazon Site Development Plan / Zoning Amendment on Overhead Power Lines
Amazon’s site development plan disregards multiple conditions of the special use permit approved in February and contains numerous omissions, deficiencies and errors…
More Data Center News in Warrenton
Much has happened in the weeks since the 4-3 Warrenton Town Council vote to approve the Amazon Data Center Special Use Permit (SUP). I want to give you an update on potential permit violations on the property and share concerns about proposals to build more data centers in Town.
Data Centers, Diesel Generators and Air Quality – PEC Web Map
PEC requested the air permits for all of the approximately hundred data center facilities covered under the proposed DEQ variance, including the number of commercial generators per facility. We determined that there are 4,632 commercial diesel generators in total and that these generators have a total capacity of 11.1 gigawatts of power. Our web map displays the data centers locations, as well as nearby schools, nursing homes and low income communities.
Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William Air Quality in Jeopardy
The VA Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is seeking comment on an order that will temporarily allow data centers in Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William counties to operate their generators for longer and more frequent periods of time due to projected grid instability issues during peak summer energy usage.
4-3 vote to approve Amazon’s Warrenton data center
Thank you to all who came to speak out against the Amazon data center proposal in Warrenton at last night’s public hearing.