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.
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Richmond Times-Dispatch
(May 15, 2026)
Make it make sense: at a time when Virginians’ bills are being hit by soaring fuel costs, yet again tied to never-ending wars overseas, Dominion is proposing what would be the second-largest gas plant in the United States... You and I will finance this unnecessary three-gigawatt behemoth in Cumberland County, and AI data centers will use the electricity.
Loudoun Times-Mirror
(May 14, 2026)
For the third year, Wegmeyer Farms has teamed up with the community of Lincoln to host the Lincoln Strawberry Festival. This year's festival is set for May 16 and 17. During the weekend, visitors to the farm can start the day with a pancake breakfast before a full lineup of festival activities, including live music and entertainment, strawberry picking, kids' activities, local craft vendors, baked goods for sale and more.
The Washington Post
(May 13, 2026)
The poll, conducted this spring and released Wednesday, found that seven out of 10 Americans said they would oppose a data center being built near them, including nearly half who say they strongly oppose the projects.
Richmond Times-Dispatch
(May 13, 2026)
Higher costs for its network of high-voltage lines and equipment could boost Dominion Energy bills by just over 2% this year.
The State Corporation Commission approved an increase amounting to $1.09 in a benchmark $171.90 monthly bill for 1,000 kilowatt-hours to finance the work Dominion has done so far on its multi-year grid modernization project.
Common Dreams
(May 9, 2026)
Even if you’ve never stood next to a data center, you’ve probably felt its impacts. For instance, if you’re one of the 65 million people served by regional transmission giant PJM in the eastern United States, a huge spike in projected demand for electricity, driven almost entirely by proposed data centers, has raised your electric bills. But standing next to a data center—or worse, living next to one—is where you can really feel the totality of its impact. I didn’t fully realize this until I spent time in the belly of the beast.
Middleburg Life
(May 1, 2026)
Water carries life, but it can also carry disease and impurities. The primary goal of Fauquier County’s John Marshall Soil and Water Conservation District is to protect the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay watershed and the streams that feed into it.
This article mentions The Piedmont Environmental Council and features the photographic work of PEC Multimedia Specialist Hugh Kenny.
Middleburg Life
(May 1, 2026)
When Allison Elizabeth Huysman, University of Maryland Ph.D. candidate, proposed a study that she hoped would potentially reduce agricultural pests, eight livestock and produce farms in the Middleburg and The Plains area enthusiastically agreed. Huysman is curious to discover if increasing bird populations in the region will control pests and reduce the need for pesticides.
Rappahannock News
(May 11, 2026)
Thanks to climate change, spring weather in northwest Virginia has become a rollercoaster, going from historically somewhat unpredictable to seriously unstable. This year it’s been oscillating between extreme cold and heat here at Redbud Glen, 1,300 feet up in the Allegheny foothills, but drought has been a bigger issue.
The Crozet Gazette
(May 9, 2026)
Ramps or wild leeks, are one of the earliest wild edibles to emerge in the spring. They are a type of wild onion with a garlicky/onion flavor that some find overwhelming. But for those enthusiasts who love the strong taste, they are the holy grail of all the wild edibles the woods have to offer.
Middleburg Life
(May 1, 2026)
Last fall, Ashish Kapoor, the Piedmont Environmental Council’s senior energy and climate adviser, was asked to apply to do a TEDx Warrenton talk. His first response was to sit down and think about it. Since joining PEC three years ago, Kapoor has been the organization’s point person on distributed power generation and agrivoltaics: the combination of solar and agricultural production on the same land.
This article features the Piedmont Environmental Council Senior Energy and Climate Advisor, Ashish Kapoor.
Middleburg Life
(April 30, 2026)
Conservation efforts come in many forms, but capturing the beauty of a place is arguably one of the most effective in conveying the importance of preserving natural spaces.
This article mentions The Piedmont Environmental Council and highlights the work of PEC Multimedia Specialist Hugh Kenny.
Information Charlottesville
(May 14, 2026)
What are the latest details on Albemarle County’s ongoing work to develop their Rivanna Futures project to accommodate an AstraZeneca manufacturing plant as well as future businesses? What about the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority’s forthcoming plans to increase capacity in an area projected to add thousands of homes as well as a new industrial park with at least 600 employees?
C-VILLE Weekly
(May 13, 2026)
In these divisive times, there’s one thing everyone agrees on: Traffic here is terrible. With road improvement projects going on all the time—especially now, in construction season—why does it seem our roads aren’t keeping up with traffic?
C-VILLE Weekly
(May 13, 2026)
In the latest test of Charlottesville’s new zoning code, City Council voted 3-2 on May 4 to allow developers of a private seven-story student housing project to make minor changes to two historic buildings on Seventh Street SW.
C-VILLE Weekly
(May 13, 2026)
In February 2024, Albemarle County supervisors created an Affordable Rental Housing Incentive Program to add another method to create more affordable units. “Under the program, projects can be eligible for a grant which is equal to 15 percent of the total taxes paid on the property each year and that incentive lasts for a total of 30 years,” said Stacy Pethia, Albemarle’s housing director.
Information Charlottesville
(May 13, 2026)
The Development Code will now be continuously reviewed on a yearly basis and that work will begin this month. The city will also begin an effort this year to work directly with developers and landowners to build more housing on single-family lots. This is the so-called “Missing Middle” that imagines duplexes, triplexes, and other multifamily units.
Information Charlottesville
(May 13, 2026)
The Albemarle Board of Supervisors adopted the Places29 Master Plan in February 2011 to guide development in the county’s largest growth area. One of the sub-areas goes by the name “Neighborhood 2.” According to data provided by Albemarle’s Community Development Department, 814 residential units in this area that have been approved but not yet built, and another 972 units that are under review.
Information Charlottesville
(May 13, 2026)
There are many opportunities for nonprofit developers and other organizations to secure funding for various projects. One of those is the Charlottesville Affordable Housing Fund (CAHF) which had $832,000 available in FY2026.
This year, seven applications totaling $1,469,795 were submitted and reviewed by the CAHF Committee.
29 News
(May 12, 2026)
A former landfill in Albemarle County is now generating clean energy through a new solar farm.
More than 7,000 solar panels sit at the old Ivy Landfill, converting sunlight into electricity. A spokesperson said the site marks Dominion Energy’s first solar farm of this kind in Virginia.
The Crozet Gazette
(May 8, 2026)
The owners of Crozet’s Beaver Hill Mobile Home Community (MHC)—on the north side of Rt. 240 across from the Highlands—have proposed an expansion of the MHC from 43 to 92 units to be built on adjacent rolling acreage northeast of the current site. The Sprouse family, which has run the Beaver Hill operation since the mid-60s, predating much of the surrounding development, is asking for a rezoning of the land that would effectively add it to the Crozet Development Area.
This article quotes Piedmont Environmental Council Field Representative Rob McGinnis.
Culpeper Star-Exponent
(May 9, 2026)
The recent outpouring of opposition to the powerline and substation in Richardsville demonstrates Culpeper County citizens strong desire to preserve the rural character of our county.
The Washington Post
(May 11, 2026)
On a near-freezing morning in early May, a dozen or so people gathered in the small gravel lot of a Fauquier County, Virginia, nature preserve. Wearing woolen garments that should have been stashed away weeks ago, many were also sporting trekking poles, binoculars and long-lens cameras.
Loudoun Times-Mirror
(May 15, 2026)
As Loudoun County updates its rural zoning regulations, passionate interest groups have emerged, and their priorities don’t always align. Much of the tension has been between conservationists focused on environmental protections and residential interests, and business owners trying to fend off perceived overregulation.
This article quotes Piedmont Environmental Council Land Use Field Representative Tia Earman. Read our recent email alert on this issue.
Loudoun Times-Mirror
(May 14, 2026)
Loudoun's bumper crop of data centers has been in the spotlight for years. But another type of project is moving in with them: substations. These projects are essential for data centers, and applications regularly come to county leaders for approval. But several Loudoun supervisors are frustrated with a current one from Dominion Energy, though.
Loudoun Now
(May 14, 2026)
In April, the Loudoun County Preservation and Conservation Coalition (LCPCC) and sponsoring organizations (Loudoun Watershed Watch, Loudoun’s Future, Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy, Piedmont Environmental Council, and Save Rural Loudoun) held three public meetings about western Loudoun’s groundwater resources, with over 300 residents attending. The meetings highlighted an important assessment of Loudoun’s groundwater supply produced in 2025.
The Piedmont Environmental Council is a co-signor on this Letter to the Editor.
Loudoun Now
(May 12, 2026)
The Town Council this week supported a proposal to conduct more detailed planning for development on the west side of Leesburg Executive Airport. Airport Director Scott Coffman on Monday briefed the council on plans to hire Delta Airport Consultants to create a series of development options for the 44-acre property between the airport’s runway and the Compass Creek commercial center.
Loudoun Now
(May 11, 2026)
For centuries, the Old Carolina Road served as an essential travel corridor—from Native Americans moving between hunting grounds to today’s commuters headed to or from the office.
On Sunday, the significance of that route was celebrated by the Lucketts Ruritan Club, which organized a campaign to erect a highway marker near the Lucketts Community Center to highlight that history.
Loudoun Now
(May 8, 2026)
After denying a proposal last month to build a data center just outside of Leesburg that could include a long-duration energy storage facility pilot, county supervisors this week voted to reconsider the application for a 450,000-square-foot data center and the energy storage facility, which was initially planned at 11,000 square feet, but is reduced to 600 square feet in the final version of the application.
Charlottesville Tomorrow
(May 13, 2026)
For the last two years, Woodberry Forest School senior Jayden Crosby-Brewer has researched the lives of the enslaved people who lived on and cared for the land prior to the school’s founding, when the site, north of Orange in Madison County, served as the home of William T. Madison, brother of former President James Madison.
Orange County Government
(May 14, 2026)
The Orange County Board of Supervisors received a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request from a citizen seeking the release of any non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) between the County and potential data center developers and/or their representatives. County staff entered into two agreements. After considering interim legal counsel’s advice, the Board of Supervisors ordered the release of both NDAs in their entirety. The Board remains committed to balancing transparency with its responsibility to protect legally exempt confidential information when appropriate.
Data Center Dynamics
(May 13, 2026)
Developer Highland Properties Manassas LLC has withdrawn its plan to build Quantico Ridge, an approximately 160-acre data center in Prince William County, Virginia. The company withdrew its request to change the zoning of a land parcel...
Fauquier Now
(May 12, 2026)
Data center developer QTS’ petition to appeal the March 31 Virginia Court of Appeals ruling reaffirming the cancellation of the PW Digital Gateway data center campus still needs to clear procedural hurdles before being heard by the state Supreme Court. Next up, a “writ panel” consisting of three Virginia Supreme Court justices will hear a 20-minute session in late May or early June with two brief arguments from the defense, QTS, for each of the two legal challenges to the Digital Gateway, according to people familiar with the proceedings.
Northern Virginia Magazine
(May 12, 2026)
Anew data center could be built in Chantilly with a power system that’s new to Fairfax County. The proposed development would be powered mainly from fuel cells, which convert natural gas into electricity, rather than relying on energy from the power grid, Fairfax Real Estate Insider first reported.
American Public Power Association
(May 11, 2026)
The PJM Interconnection’s rules for assigning regional transmission costs driven by data centers violate the Federal Power Act and will unfairly inflate Marylanders’ electric bills, the Maryland Office of People’s Counsel said in a complaint filed May 7 at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star
(May 10, 2026)
A meeting is scheduled for Monday at the Hampton Inn & Conference Center, 2965 Richmond Highway (U.S. 1), for an update on a proposed power line project that caused consternation in Stafford County late last year. The meeting, which will be open to the public from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m., is one of several community updates set up by Dominion Energy. Survey results on what Stafford residents think of the proposal were also released this week.
The Daily Progress
(May 15, 2026)
Gov. Abigail Spanberger, who ran a successful gubernatorial campaign on bringing down the skyrocketing energy bills, is betting that residential solar and nuclear projects will do just that. She On Tuesday, she signed a half-dozen bills that her office says will address high energy costs, increase Virginia's energy generation and put the commonwealth on the path to greater energy independence.
Richmond BizSense
(May 14, 2026)
A data center campus that would straddle the Hanover-Ashland line is coming back before the county’s planning commission. Reston-based WestDulles Properties is seeking zoning approval for its proposed Iron Horse data center project, which would rise on 78 acres..
Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star
(May 13, 2026)
But that didn't stop representatives of various trade and building associations from packing council chambers on Tuesday to express support for the project. Several council members privately expressed surprise...
Virginia Mercury
(May 13, 2026)
In a fallow field off the Virginia Capital Trail in Henrico County Tuesday morning, urban agriculture expert Duron Chavis walked through the grass alongside Parker Agelasto, a former Richmond City councilman who now leads the Capital Region Land Conservancy. The CVACLT’s plan is to develop about four tiny homes on the property; the program’s trainees will apply to live there and work the land, with an opportunity for future plot ownership, at little to no cost.
WSLS
(May 12, 2026)
Across Southwest Virginia, more and more data centers have been proposed to various localities. One of the larger ones is in Botetourt County, which has garnered controversy from residents. Google purchased the 312-acre parcel of land in 2025...
Henrico Citizen
(May 12, 2026)
On April 22, local advocacy group Friends of Hanover held an Earth Day rally outside the Hanover County Government Building in protest of a new 427-acre data center proposed at the Hanover-Henrico border in the South Anna District.
WVTF
(May 12, 2026)
Many of the details are shielded by non-disclosure agreements with local government agencies and other partners. But Google formally announced its intentions around the data center with a press release last month, and company officials are beginning to discuss the project.
Richmond Times-Dispatch
(May 12, 2026)
Dominion Energy is planning to spend $1.1 billion on the next phase of a multiyear push to reduce the number of power outages customers experience and to update its grid to accommodate more solar generators and higher demand. It did not detail a proposed impact on monthly bills, but will do so in a later filing.
The Cool Down
(May 12, 2026)
In Northern Virginia, the rise of artificial intelligence is reshaping more than the internet. It is also transforming neighborhoods, utility bills, and local water systems as giant data centers spread across Loudoun County's so-called Data Center Alley. As Sierra reported, this is the world's biggest data center hub, and environmental advocates now say another threat deserves more attention: PFAS, the toxic "forever chemicals" that may be tied to how these facilities are cooled.
This article quotes Piedmont Environmental Council Land Use Director Julie Bolthouse.
WSLS
(May 11, 2026)
Wythe County held its third community input meeting on a proposed zoning ordinance Thursday, and while data centers were not the main agenda item, they were on many residents’ minds. Wythe is one of a small number of Virginia counties without any countywide zoning laws.
Fredericksburg Free Press
(May 9, 2026)
Opposition to a proposed Dominion Energy power line remains high in Stafford County, where this week survey results were released and state lawmakers made their thoughts clear at a town hall meeting.
The Environmental Blog
(May 13, 2026)
After Dulles, the suburbs begin to lose their gentleness as you drive west from Washington. The strip malls get smaller. The trees return. Then, out of nowhere, the warehouses show up. They are long, windowless, fenced, and arranged like massive shoeboxes that were dropped by something that didn’t give a damn where they ended up. The hum you hear in Loudoun County is the result of about 200 data centers performing the unseen labor that keeps your AI chatbot responding and your inbox loading. The hum is initially faint but eventually becomes constant.
This article mentions Piedmont Environmental Council Land Use Director Julie Bolthouse.
Governing.com
(May 12, 2026)
America doesn’t need a simple yes-or-no debate over data centers. It needs a better civic compact to honestly weigh their benefits and costs. States and communities should welcome this digital infrastructure, but only on terms that protect ratepayers, workers, water and public trust.
IndyStar
(May 11, 2026)
As Indiana cities see more data centers express interest in setting down roots in the state, local communities and environmental activists are expressing concern about the potential for the new facilities to create local health hazards.
This article quotes Piedmont Environmental Council Land Use Director Julie Bolthouse.
Culpeper Star-Exponent
(May 10, 2026)
Millions of Americans are unknowingly financing electric grid projects before they get any benefit. Policymakers, in an urgent bid to overhaul the aging U.S. electric grid, increasingly let utilities charge customers for power plants and transmission lines long before they are built...
National Laboratory of the Rockies
(April 20, 2026)
What do a Texas data center, a New Jersey warehouse, and a police academy in Arizona have in common? They all have roofs. OK, not surprising. But these particular roofs have an extra coating—one designed to keep interiors cool in the summer and warm in the winter, protect the building from ultraviolet sunrays, hail, wind, or other extreme weather, and cut utility bills, too.
Join us on Saturday, May 30 for our Annual Gathering at Longwood Farm, featuring Marion Werkheiser!
