The Piedmont News is an email digest of top news stories about conservation, land use, energy, and environmental matters of interest to the region. We hope you’ll share The Piedmont News with someone else who cares about these stories.
VPM
(June 25, 2026)
New regulations taking effect next January will shine more light on how much water data centers use in Virginia — though information on specific facilities is still protected as a trade secret. Instead of ordering data centers to report their individual monthly water usage, the new law requires waterworks operators to categorize their monthly sales reporting data.
Loudoun Times-Mirror
(June 23, 2026)
Local elected officials, Visit Loudoun, the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce and the Conservation Fund are urging Gov. Abigail Spanberger to include Oak Hill State Park as an amendment to the state’s budget package, after it was omitted from the final budget conference report for the second year in a row.
The Nation
(June 23, 2026)
When a data center developer offered a northern Kentucky family $26 million for half of their 1,200-acre farm, the response was a hard no. “Stay and feed the nation,” said Delsia Bare. There are currently 4,320 data centers across all 50 states, but even though all of America is being affected, two-thirds of future data centers are slated for rural areas.
Virginia Mercury
(June 22, 2026)
On Monday, Virginia legislators approved a two-year, $205 billion budget proposal that includes a provision to tax data centers for their energy consumption, which is slated to generate a maximum of $600 million each year but doesn’t include the environmental standards the House of Delegates wanted to impose on the industry or the end of the sales tax exemption that the Senate sought.
Loudoun Now
(June 22, 2026)
The state budget compromise that received General Assembly approval today excludes authorization for the commonwealth to accept President James Monroe’s Loudoun County home, Oak Hill, for the establishment of a state park.
The New Republic
(June 22, 2026)
We’ve gathered stories from all across the country detailing what happens when Big Tech’s latest monstrosities come to town. While some are worse than others, the stories people tell about how data centers invade and disrupt their communities follow the same contours.
Cornell University
(June 22, 2026)
A new model for facilitating habitat restoration on private lands, called conservation speed dating, is creating a buzz and boosting efforts to connect landowners with grant funding.
This article highlight the Virginia Grassland Bird Initiative, a partner project of The Piedmont Environmental Council and quotes PEC Wildlife Habitat Restoration Manager October Greenfield.
Blue Ridge Leader
(June 18, 2026)
Solar panels and farming are not usually thought of as compatible uses of land, but Virginia officials say a new state law could help bring the two together. Gov. Abigail Spanberger visited The Piedmont Environmental Council’s Community Farm at Roundabout Meadows on June 17 to ceremonially sign legislation that establishes Virginia’s first official definition of “agrivoltaics”—the practice of combining agricultural production and solar energy generation on the same piece of land.
This article highlights the Piedmont Environmental Council's agrivoltaics project and PEC's role in authoring the new legislation.
FFX Now
(June 25, 2026)
Fairfax County leaders are asking Gov. Abigail Spanberger to take into account the local area’s unique circumstances if a drought emergency needs to be declared in Virginia. Any unilateral drought declaration coming from Richmond could cause problems in regional commitments that are coordinated by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG), the letter suggests.
C-VILLE Weekly
(June 25, 2026)
A proposal to build a new electric transmission line between Campbell and Culpeper counties has prompted elected officials in both Fluvanna and Louisa to take steps to oppose its construction, including setting aside money for a potential legal battle. Now the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors has taken a step to allow residents along the route of an existing power line an additional opportunity to object to its expansion.
The article contains a statement from The Piedmont Environmental Council.
Charlottesville Community Engagement
(June 25, 2026)
Since Charlottesville City Council adopted a new zoning code in December 2023, there has already been one round of changes for minor alterations for clarification and to correct technical errors. A second round of minor changes kicked off on June 23 when the Planning Commission held a listening session for developers.
C-VILLE Weekly
(June 24, 2026)
For the past 50 years, Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall has been a site in and of transition. The blocking off and bricking up of East Main Street in 1976 converted the city’s main drag into a pedestrian promenade and central business district that aimed to keep consumers and community members in place. But the origins of the Downtown Mall’s design engaged the concept of movement from the outset.
C-VILLE Weekly
(June 24, 2026)
For years, discussions of zoning and affordable housing in Charlottesville have invariably thrown around the acronym “ADU.” Part of the abbreviation, “dwelling unit,” is generally agreed upon. There is decidedly less consensus about what the “A” stands for: additional, accessory, or affordable.
Charlottesville Community Engagement
(June 23, 2026)
In this edition: Albemarle Supervisor Ann Mallek wants the county to be ready to take advantage of additional tools to test sewage sludge.
The Winchester Star
(June 23, 2026)
Clarke County officials have announced steps the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) will take to try and prevent further problems with herbicide spraying along roads. But a local environmentalist believes those measures are inadequate.
The Winchester Star
(June 22, 2026)
Clarke County resident Wingate Mackay-Smith recently was honored for her many years of work to promote environmental conservation. Mackay-Smith was one of two people who received the Gerald P. McCarthy Lifetime Achievement Award for Leadership in Environmental Conflict Resolution.
Mackay-Smith served on The Piedmont Environmental Council Board of Directors for many years.
Loudoun Now
(June 25, 2026)
Attorneys involved in the application to build a transmission line through eastern Loudoun County have been asked to appear in Richmond for a last-minute hearing on whether the School Board's deadline to make a decision impacting the line should be extended by six weeks. At the same time, Loudoun County government representative have filed a motion to remove their support of the extension.
Loudoun Now
(June 25, 2026)
For the first time in decades, Loudoun’s education administrators say they are not planning on building new schools over the next six years and county supervisors are hopeful that will result in lower housing costs.
Blue Ridge Leader
(June 25, 2026)
Concerns over data centers, transmission lines, growth and the preservation of western Loudoun County’s rural character dominated a town hall hosted by U.S. Rep. Suhas Subramanyam on June 22. The event drew residents from across Loudoun County, who questioned the congressman on issues ranging from energy infrastructure and housing to the national debt, health care, artificial intelligence and immigration.
Loudoun Now
(June 24, 2026)
The future of a transmission line planned to cross through eastern Loudoun is uncertain after the School Board on Tuesday accepted a land gift that would seemingly block routing the line through it. At the same time, the School Board declined to take action on an easement request that would allow the line to be built on an alternative route. Now, the case likely heads back to the State Corporation Commission.
Loudoun Times-Mirror
(June 24, 2026)
The Loudoun County Planning Commission is working through an application to build housing, retail and a park along U.S. 50 in Chantilly, on a lot that includes the Pleasant Valley United Methodist Church. The 22.7-acre rezoning proposal on Eastgate View Drive includes up to 362 apartments, 40,000 square feet of commercial space and a 40,000-square-foot county park dedication.
Loudoun Times-Mirror
(June 24, 2026)
With a hearing approaching, the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce is publicly opposing potential toll hikes on the Dulles Greenway. It joins the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors and at least one state delegate who have come out against the proposal.
Loudoun Now
(June 23, 2026)
“It is a great opportunity to do a number of things next to Ashbrook, the shopping center, housing, the [Community] church is on the other side, a school, and to have a data center right in the middle of that, I think that's not a good use for that parcel,” [Supervisor Glass] said.
Loudoun Now
(June 23, 2026)
Three years after launching the effort to rewrite Leesburg’s Zoning Ordinance, the Town Council on Monday began the final round of review of the 433-page ordinance. Community Development Director James David says that extensive public outreach and more than a year of work by the Planning Commission has led to a streamlined, user-friendly zoning framework....
Loudoun Now
(June 23, 2026)
JK Land Holdings has submitted an annexation request to the Town of Lovettsville that, if approved, would allow development of 29,000 square feet of retail uses, up to 10,000 square feet of dining or brewery use and 170,800 square feet of industrial uses. Community members have raised concerns that Kuhn is planning a data center on the property.
Loudoun Now
(June 23, 2026)
The Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce is joining the effort to urge Gov. Abigail Spanberger to add authority for the commonwealth to accept the 1,200-acre Oak Hill property for the creation of a new state park.
Loudoun Times-Mirror
(June 23, 2026)
Loudoun County is studying commuter cut-through traffic on roads that parallel the busy U.S. 15 thoroughfare. The county has scheduled a listening session for 6 p.m. July 8 at Smart's Mill Middle School (850 N. King St., Leesburg). Participants may sign up to speak when they get to the meeting, and will have allotted a limited amount so that everyone can comment.
Loudoun Now
(June 16, 2026)
Del. David Reid (D-28) this month sent a letter to the State Corporation Commission asking the judges to deny a request by Toll Road Investors Partnership II, the company that owns the Dulles Greenway, to increase tolls during peak and nonpeak hours.
Loudoun Now
(June 15, 2026)
The Middleburg Town Council this week enacted its voluntary water conservation policy as the town’s wells are showing impacts from the prolonged regional drought. The action comes days after the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments issued a call for water conservation as part of a regional drought watch triggered by concerns about declining Potomac River flows.
The Rapidan Register
(June 20, 2026)
The second Orange County open house meeting regarding the Joshua Falls-Yeat Transmission Project was held June 15 with a focus on the updated routes released last month by Valley Link, a joint venture of which Dominion is included.
Rappahannock News
(June 25, 2026)
The Rappahannock County Planning Commission voted 4-1 last Wednesday to recommend a one-time exception to the county's tourist home rules, allowing an operating permit for the Mint Cottage in Washington to remain valid after the property is sold to a new owner. The recommendation now heads to the Board of Supervisors, which will make the final decision on whether the permit can remain in place after the property's upcoming sale.
Fauquier Now
(June 26, 2026)
The Prince William Board of County Supervisors on Tuesday imposed a 90-day deferral for Dominion Energy’s controversial Vint Hill gas-insulated switching station in Nokesville. Located on just over 23 acres at 13405 Vint Hill Road, adjacent to the Braemar residential community, the proposal drew the ire of several supervisors for its use of sulfur hexafluoride gas, known as SF6. Resident turnout was robust Tuesday.
Prince William Times
(June 25, 2026)
A data center developer’s recent move to quietly buy up several properties along Nokesville Road in Manassas is putting the squeeze on one of the city’s oldest congregations. The Manassas Church of the Brethren, founded in 1895, is weighing a purchase offer in the tens of millions. But it’s not clear whether it's enough money to allow the church to rebuild on land nearby.
The Northern Virginia Daily
(June 25, 2026)
Residents submitted dozens of questions on paper forms during the June 15 forum on Project Tallmadge, the $4.5 billion data center campus proposed for the Strasburg Industrial Park. None were read aloud that night. The town has now answered them in writing and posted them online with a video of the forum. The answers were released on Wednesday evening.
The Northern Virginia Daily
(June 24, 2026)
The supervisors did not pursue an outright ban. Keeping local control, they said, meant writing the rules themselves. The ordinance they adopted makes a data center a special use in the county's two industrial districts and requires a public hearing before one can be built. The room had asked the board to close the door.
The Northern Virginia Daily
(June 23, 2026)
The Front Royal Town Council said "no data centers" on Monday after more than 100 speakers urged members to take a stand against the industrial facilities. Council members voted 6-0 to deny proposed changes to the town zoning regulations that opponents of the measure warned would open Front Royal to data center developers.
WJLA-ABC7News
(June 26, 2026)
The Cloud we use to store data may seem like something far away in the sky. But in fact, the Cloud has a growing footprint in Virginia in the form of data centers and high-voltage transmission lines used to power them. Dominion Energy is proposing to build two new high-voltage transmission lines through five Virginia counties.
Fairfax Times
(June 26, 2026)
Northern Virginia, with Fairfax County as a central, high-demand hub, is famously known as the data center capital of the world. However, voices from local organizations are concerned with environmental harm from data centers and are calling for reliable safeguards.
Cardinal News
(June 26, 2026)
Virginia is levying a six-figure civil penalty on the developer of a 75-megawatt solar power plant on hundreds of acres near the North Carolina border, citing environmental violations since 2024. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality recently ordered Urban Grid’s limited liability company for the project, Alton Post Office Solar Land LLC, to pay $106,288, alleging multiple failures to implement proper erosion and sediment controls.
WRIC
(June 25, 2026)
Most of the Commonwealth is under a drought warning, and Governor Abigail Spanberger has encouraged residents to conserve water where they can. But with Virginia being the data center capital of the world, the amount of water used to keep them running is raising eyebrows.
The Poole Report
(June 25, 2026)
The state budget compromise that slapped a $600 million annual “energy consumption tax” on data centers managed to infuriate both the industry and environmental groups aligned against it. Energy consumption by the state's 600+ data centers presents a serious challenge to the electric grid. Despite its name, the "energy consumption tax" was not designed to address the problem.
Blue Ridge Leader
(June 25, 2026)
Oak Hill is not included in the current draft of the Virginia General Assembly budget. If that omission stands, it could jeopardize already-committed funding intended to establish Oak Hill as Virginia’s next state park that are contingent on the project moving forward this year, including $6 million in federal Land and Water Conservation Fund money, $5 million in private donor pledges, and up to $10 million from the State Parks Acquisition and Development Fund.
WUSA 9
(June 24, 2026)
The budget was passed in the Senate with a 23-16 vote and in the House with a 71-22 vote. Data centers were among the contentious issues during Virginia's budget cycle. Legislators considered eliminating the sales and use tax exemption for the data center industry. However the amended proposal that was approved only includes a temporary energy consumption tax that according to legislators will generate up to $600 million a year for the commonwealth. Noise complaints have added fuel to the political battle over data centers in Northern Virginia.
Cardinal News
(June 24, 2026)
It is 1,200 acres of rolling farmland in Northern Virginia, threaded by streams and creeks for fishing and forested glades for enjoying wildlife and a walk in the woods. It is also a uniquely American place and one that tells the story of our nation. Oak Hill is the only privately held home of a presidential Founding Father — the estate where James Monroe lived and where he drafted the Monroe Doctrine that shaped two centuries of American foreign policy.
10 News
(June 24, 2026)
As Google moves forward with plans for a major data center campus in Botetourt County, some environmental advocates are urging Virginia to rethink how the facilities operate — and warning that growing water demands could strain local resources.
CBS 19 News
(June 23, 2026)
A new electricity use tax on data centers included in Virginia's recently approved state budget is drawing praise from some environmental advocates as a step forward, but they argue lawmakers failed to address broader concerns tied to the industry's rapid growth. However, Christopher Miller, president of the Piedmont Environmental Council, said the measure only addresses a portion of the challenges associated with the industry's growth.
This article quotes Piedmont Environmental Council President Chris Miller.
Fredericksburg Free Press
(June 23, 2026)
The Virginia Marine Resources Commission had a stack of 209 comments regarding Caroline County’s request to construct a water intake facility along the Rappahannock River, a project that would withdraw up to 9 million gallons of water per day. A total of 206 of those comments opposed the request; three were neutral, and none were in favor of it.
Canary Media
(June 23, 2026)
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger and her fellow state Democrats romped to a governing trifecta last year, pledging to curtail rising electric bills and ensure power-hungry data centers pay their fair share without undermining the state’s clean energy transition. But the party now looks poised to fall short on those promises, extracting more money from the tech industry but failing to mitigate its climate impact in the data center capital of the world.
Solar Builder
(June 23, 2026)
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger has signed SB 340/HB 508, officially defining the term “agrivoltaics” in the law code of the Old Dominion, and paving the way for further solar farming projects across the region. Taking place at the Piedmont Environmental Council’s (PEC) Community Farm at Roundabout Meadows, Virginia’s first crop-based agrivoltaics project, the bill is “critically important” to Virginia’s energy future. The bill is one of 12 PEC-backed energy bills that have been signed into law.
This article mentions The Piedmont Environmental Council and quotes PEC Senior Energy and Climate Advisor Ashish Kapoor.
Virginia Mercury
(June 22, 2026)
When local water authorities implement restrictions on water use, are there specific carve outs and rules for data centers, which use hundreds of thousands of gallons of water to cool their computer systems? No. Across multiple localities, they’re treated the same as all other commercial, industrial and residential customers. It is up to each authority to manage their water use and limit customers as needed, based on the weather conditions.
CVILLE Right Now
(June 22, 2026)
Newsom said the water in the area turned brown because of the construction, and his property has been covered in dust and mud from construction. He reached out to both Louisa County and Clark Construction with grievances regarding the construction process and how it has affected his life over the course of the year.
The article quotes Robert McGinnis, Senior Land Use Field Representative at The Piedmont Environmental Council.
Richmond Times-Dispatch
(June 21, 2026)
It’s time for Virginians to cut back on how often they water lawns or wash their cars, as the state faces its worst drought since 1941, Gov. Abigail Spanberger said Thursday. Despite recent rain, Virginia has received about 8 inches less rain than average, and groundwater levels and water flow in the state’s rivers and streams are low. Richmond and Henrico County draw their water from the James River, where the U.S. Geological Survey reports water levels are 3.68 feet, down from 6.7 feet at the same time last year and 3.8 feet on June 18, 2024.
Richmond Times-Dispatch
(June 21, 2026)
Stafford is one of the latest counties in the bull's-eye of data center development, with approximately 40 million square feet of approved or proposed data center projects. Proponents point to the tax revenue these data centers will provide. But when you add up all the tax breaks, data centers don’t pay as much as you think.
The Virginian-Pilot
(June 20, 2026)
In 2025, Virginia’s data centers consumed 31 terawatt-hours — more electricity than most countries use. Today, Virginia’s data centers consume 22% of its electricity, and within a decade they will be using half of the commonwealth’s electricity. This month Virginia’s House Appropriations Committee proposed new “Data Center Accountability” (DCA) rules that have no tangible accountability, stripped out environmental language, kept industry tax breaks, and established a new commission to conduct yet another data center study. This overlooks that Virginia funded an excellent, detailed data center report in 2024.
Virginia Scope
(June 19, 2026)
Virginia lawmakers are moving to tax data centers’ electricity use under a budget conference report unveiled this week, a measure expected to generate $1.2 billion over the two-year state budget cycle. The provision, included in the conference report just released by the House and Senate, would charge data centers $0.011 per kilowatt-hour of electricity consumed each month. Collections would be capped at $600 million annually; any amount collected above that cap would be refunded to data center operators on a prorated basis after the fiscal year ends. The definition of “data center” used in the bill is written to exclude telecommunications companies.
Morning AgClips
(June 18, 2026)
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) today announced $20 million in conservation grants to restore, enhance and protect longleaf pine forests across nine southern states, including Virginia. These projects will also benefit a wide range of wildlife, including at-risk species such as the gopher tortoise, red-cockaded woodpecker and eastern indigo snake through captive breeding and release of individuals to restored longleaf pine habitat.
WHRO
(June 18, 2026)
Suffolk is looking to temporarily ban data centers while the city works on regulations for the industry. Councilmember John Rector didn’t want the city to get “blindsided” by a development application before staff finished. He called for the pause earlier in June. Mayor Mike Duman said it’s the right thing to do.
Blue Ridge Leader
(June 14, 2026)
Governor Abigail Spanberger today announced the launch of a statewide public input process to inform the 2026 Virginia Energy Plan (VEP), a ten-year roadmap for how the Commonwealth will focus on contending with high energy costs while growing energy demand, strengthening reliability and resilience for households and businesses, and continuing to move toward a net-zero economy.
Politico
(June 25, 2026)
Pallone, who would take over Energy and Commerce next year should Democrats win back the House, called that bill and others being considered by the Energy Subcommittee “not nearly enough.” Citing the significant energy needs of data centers and other environmental impacts, Pallone said, “we need action, not toothless promises from Big Tech.”
Heatmap
(June 24, 2026)
The Democratic ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, New Jersey Representative Frank Pallone, called for a national data center moratorium before the Wednesday afternoon markup of a series of data center-related bills, the Ratepayer Protection Act among them. Pallone described the proposals being discussed at the markup as a “useful first step,” but that “compared to the challenges the American power grid is facing, they are not nearly enough.”
Heatmap
(June 23, 2026)
The Ratepayer Protection Act would go a bit further than the pledge, amending the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act to “establish a Federal standard relating to the recovery of the full, incremental costs of upgrades that serve large-load customers.” Peskoe, however, described this to me in an email as “largely symbolic..."
The Wall Street Journal
(June 22, 2026)
Chevron has struck a 20-year agreement to sell electricity to Microsoft, which plans to build what could become one of the country’s largest artificial-intelligence data centers in West Texas. The oil company is working with Joulent, an energy company launched by investment firm Engine No. 1, to build a massive power-generation complex that will supply the data center using natural gas...
News Nation
(June 18, 2026)
Imagine living next to the Vantage data center in Sterling, Virginia — which stands tall, with its blue walls and massive generators — and having to hear its constant ringing. “We were told in the beginning that they test the generators to make sure they’re working in case of an emergency,” Hari Doue told NewsNation’s Brian Entin. “And then as the year and the months have gone on, they’re just never turned off.” Greg Pirio also lives next to the data center and says, with the constant noise, “You just want to curse — it’s that bad.”
Pew
(June 10, 2026)
As Congress continues to work on the next surface transportation bill, experts from state transportation and wildlife agencies, Tribal organizations, the insurance industry, and the engineering sector gathered on Capitol Hill on April 23 to make the case to lawmakers for continued federal investment in wildlife crossings.
