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.
The Washington Post
(February 19, 2026)
Tech companies are building data centers with their own private power plants, a risky bet that will increase carbon emissions and other pollution.
29 News
(February 18, 2026)
“What they’re showing in this one project is just the beginning of a potentially massive transformation of Central Virginia, as we try to feed electrons on this new super highway,” Miller said. “The potential for that to trigger a whole round of development of data centers, of new generation projects, is very real.”
Virginia Mercury
(February 18, 2026)
Congressional lawmakers from Maryland and Virginia are pushing for a “rigorous” environmental remediation plan, public briefings and continued bacteria monitoring in the wake of last month’s spill of millions of gallons of sewage into the Potomac River.
Virginia Mercury
(February 18, 2026)
While driving on Virginia roadways, it’s common to see deceased deer, squashed turtles, and other wildlife that weren’t able to make it across the road safely. A bill working through the General Assembly would create a new fund for wildlife corridors, special road crossings designed to help animals stay out of harm’s way and reduce crashes.
Virginia Mercury
(February 17, 2026)
There are over 9,000 backup generators that can supply emergency power to Northern Virginia data centers, some of which run on diesel and emit toxins. The use of these generators became a flashpoint in communities concerned about the health impacts of the emissions and fueled legislation in this year’s General Assembly session, as new research sheds more light on how much pollution the generators produce.
The Wall Street Journal
(February 17, 2026)
Steve Alloy was preparing to develop 516 new homes in Bristow, Va., about five years ago when the home builder began noticing something odd. Much of the land surrounding his site wasn’t being acquired by housing developers. It was being snapped up by tech giants such as Microsoft and Google.
Culpeper Star-Exponent
(February 17, 2026)
Focused work rooted in making the community healthier just got a super-sized boost. The Carver Food Enterprise Center is preparing to triple in size, greatly expanding its reach as a processing and co-packing facility for local farms—thanks to support from the state and the feds.
Richmond Times-Dispatch
(February 15, 2026)
One of the biggest points of political tension in Virginia — the rapid growth of data centers — appears headed toward a General Assembly compromise. It looks like an effort to rein in any impact on Virginians’ power bills while declining to step on the brakes to stop or slow data center development. “I think that's where the leadership would like to go. I think that members who've introduced legislation ... are very frustrated," said Chris Miller...
Richmond BizSense
(February 20, 2026)
A data center project that would rise on Mountain Road in Hanover has hit a speed bump as it moves through the county’s zoning approval process. The Hanover County Planning Commission on Thursday deferred its vote on a proposal by Denver-based developer Tract to rezone nearly 430 acres for a data center campus at 13074 Mountain Road and 12517 Winns Church Road.
Rappahannock News
(February 20, 2026)
The PATH Foundation has expanded its “Let’s Volunteer!” initiative, increasing available funding for community projects and extending the program from a one-month effort to a year-round opportunity.
Bay Journal
(February 20, 2026)
One of the largest wastewater spills in U.S. history continues to unfold along the Potomac River just upstream from the District of Columbia, transforming the “Nation’s River” into an open sewer.
Fairfax Now
(February 18, 2026)
Fairfax County officials sent mixed messages last Friday (Feb. 13) over General Assembly progress, or lack of it, toward dedicated transit funding for Northern Virginia. Legislation to establish dedicated transit funding is unlikely to be acted on during the month remaining in the 2026 legislative session, county staff reported at a meeting of the Board of Supervisors’ Legislative Committee.
Annandale Today
(February 17, 2026)
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is considering selling county-owned land in Chantilly to a private developer for a data center.
Richmond Times-Dispatch
(February 16, 2026)
A joint venture of Dominion Energy and three other energy giants is planning the state’s biggest-capacity power line, a $1 billion project, to bring more electricity to power-hungry central and Northern Virginia. The 115-mile, 765-kilovolt line would move electricity from the Ohio River valley, where utilities can produce more than customers need, to Virginia, said Adam Maguire, electric transmission strategic project advisor for Dominion.
Virginia Mercury
(February 16, 2026)
The State Corporation Commission has reasserted its approval of Dominion Energy’s Chesterfield Energy Reliability Center (CERC), after it denied multiple environmental advocacy groups’ appeal to reconsider the decision. Now, the groups are taking another tack to try and stop the project.
ARL Now
(February 13, 2026)
Avoid contact with the Potomac River. That’s the message from the Virginia Dept. of Health, which just issued a recreational water advisory, three weeks after a large sewage pipe ruptured along the Clara Barton Parkway.
The Frederick News-Post
(February 13, 2026)
The group seeking to undo the new data center zone near Adamstown with a ballot referendum says it has the support of 13 nonprofit groups. The Frederick County Data Center Referendum Committee organizers have said they need about 15,000 signatures from registered Frederick County voters by mid-March to secure a referendum that would allow voters to overturn the 2,615-acre Critical Digital Infrastructure overlay zone enacted in January.
C-VILLE Weekly
(February 18, 2026)
Seven Development will try a third time to create a plan for a 3.15-acre site in Crozet’s growth area after both the Albemarle Planning Commission and neighbors said the plans for Windy Knoll were too dense.
Fauquier Now
(February 20, 2026)
The Virginia Department of Transportation will hold a design public hearing March 25 to present plans and receive public feedback on the proposed roundabout at Route 28 (Catlett Road) and Route 853 (Station Drive/Bengu Gerek Avenue) in Bealeton.
Fauquier Times
(February 18, 2026)
Armstrong is a volunteer driver for VolTran, a Warrenton-based nonprofit that provides free transportation to older adults, people with disabilities and other residents in need across Fauquier, Culpeper, Madison, Orange and Rappahannock counties.
Fauquier Now
(February 17, 2026)
“Over the years, Mr. Duvall has been outspoken in his support of efforts to protect and conserve the natural resources and beauty of Fauquier County and the broader region," Chris Miller, president of the council, said. "He often stated that ‘living in the Virginia Piedmont was the next stop before Heaven."
“Over the years, Mr. Duvall has been outspoken in his support of efforts to protect and conserve the natural resources and beauty of Fauquier County and the broader region," Chris Miller, president of the council, said. "He often stated that ‘living in the Virginia Piedmont was the next stop before Heaven."
Loudoun Now
(February 13, 2026)
The Goose Creek Association is accepting applications for Next Gen Creekkeepers, a new, immersive environmental stewardship and leadership program for high school students from Loudoun County and Fauquier County.
Loudoun Now
(February 21, 2026)
County leaders are taking a deeper dive into the utility challenges facing Loudoun’s small towns. During a summit meeting in Round Hill this week, County Chair Phyllis Randall (D-At Large) and Supervisor Caleb Kershner (R-Catoctin) met with representatives from Hamilton, Hillsboro, Lovettsville, Middleburg, Purcellville, and Round Hill, as well as staff and board members from Loudoun Water.
Loudoun Now
(February 20, 2026)
A year after Loudoun farmers gathered at a roundtable to tell county supervisors what zoning regulations could be changed to ease burdens on agricultural operations, county staff members this week presented their ideas to address those concerns, leaving farmers hopeful for the future.
Loudoun Times-Mirror
(February 20, 2026)
The Virginia Supreme Court affirmed the State Corporation Commission's approval of Dominion's Aspen to Golden transmission line on Feb. 19. Loudoun County and the Lansdowne Conservancy appealed the SCC's approval of an approximately 9-mile-long 500- and 230-kilovolt transmission line project, which was heard by the state Supreme Court earlier this year. In an opinion from Justice Teresa M. Chafin, the court upheld the SCC's decision.
Loudoun Now
(February 19, 2026)
While data centers provide tax revenue and economic development, evidence suggests these industrial facilities negatively impact nearby home values. I know this from my own experience as an Ashburn-based Realtor. There are four reasons why none of my clients have asked me to find them a house near a data center.
Loudoun Now
(February 19, 2026)
If new transmission lines are coming to Loudoun County, the Board of Supervisors say they would prefer they be built along existing transmission lines, road and Metrorail corridors.
Loudoun Times-Mirror
(February 18, 2026)
Loudoun County is working on a plan to make the Bull Run watershed healthier, and wants residents’ feedback. Spanning 14.6 miles in southeast Loudoun County and stretching into Fairfax and Prince William counties, the watershed is in a part of Loudoun that’s developing fast. Bull Run is subject to pollution regulations and is also dealing with pollution issues, mostly in Fairfax County.
Loudoun Now
(February 13, 2026)
A bill that is planned to help the grassroots effort to underground a high voltage transmission line planned for Loudoun County, received approval from the Senate Friday afternoon.
ARL Now
(February 13, 2026)
Avoid contact with the Potomac River. That’s the message from the Virginia Dept. of Health, which just issued a recreational water advisory, three weeks after a large sewage pipe ruptured along the Clara Barton Parkway.
Loudoun Now
(February 13, 2026)
The Goose Creek Association is accepting applications for Next Gen Creekkeepers, a new, immersive environmental stewardship and leadership program for high school students from Loudoun County and Fauquier County.
Prince William Times
(February 15, 2026)
Over the last six months of 2025, the supervisors collectively raised nearly $300,000 in campaign contributions, much of it from data center interests – far surpassing the contributions collected by supervisors in surrounding counties...
Virginia Mercury
(February 20, 2026)
In recent days, House and Senate leaders have coalesced around a limited number of preferred solutions. The catch is, the House solutions are mostly different from the Senate solutions. The second half of the session could be lively.
Virginia Mercury
(February 19, 2026)
Multiple measures working through the General Assembly could put more of the costs that are driving up residential power bills onto data centers. They range from direct mandates to shift the costs of distribution lines and capacity auctions, to urging the State Corporation Commission to investigate whether ratepayers are subsidizing energy infrastructure that’s primarily used by data centers.
Axios
(February 19, 2026)
Virginia isn't pausing the data center boom, but lawmakers are trying to keep residents from footing the bill for it. That's easier said than done. Electricity demand is climbing fast, driven by data centers' expansion into the Richmond area — to the chagrin of many locals. The cost of new power plants, transmission lines and grid upgrades ultimately shows up on monthly Dominion Energy bills, which have recently skyrocketed due to a base-rate increase.
Axios
(February 18, 2026)
Making it too easy for data centers to set up shop in Virginia could increase residential electricity bills and negatively affect lower-income communities. Making it too difficult potentially eliminates jobs and the tax revenue the centers could contribute to local communities.
Inside Climate News
(February 18, 2026)
The Virginia House of Delegates on Tuesday passed legislation continuing billions of dollars in state tax exemptions for all qualifying new and existing data centers as long as they take a series of steps to move away from fossil fuels and transition to renewable energy.
WSLS
(February 18, 2026)
Construction is underway on the Rocky Forge Wind Project, Virginia’s first land-based wind farm, located in Botetourt County. Developed by Apex Clean Energy, the project is designed as a utility-scale wind energy facility with a planned capacity between 75 and 79.3 megawatts. According to Apex Clean Energy, this capacity could supply electricity to approximately 21,000 homes annually.
WRIC
(February 18, 2026)
Groundwater and stream levels have dropped significantly below normal in some areas due to below-average rainfall over the past several months, leading to expanded drought warnings and watches across the Commonwealth.
Virginia Business
(February 17, 2026)
During a cold spell on Jan. 23, 2025, Dominion Energy hit an all-time peak load with 24,678 megawatts of electricity use recorded. But that’s nothing compared to what future data centers will demand, the Fortune 500 utility has told the Virginia State Corporation Commission. Data centers that have filed requests with Dominion are asking for nearly three times that amount of power, or 70,000 megawatts per day, Dominion officials wrote in a Feb. 2 filing.
Virginia Mercury
(February 16, 2026)
House Bill 1212 by Del. Briana Sewell, D-Prince William, would require localities with populations over 20,000 people to adopt at least one zoning district dedicated to homes on small lot sizes. The idea is to encourage more housing density while still allowing single-family homes in neighborhoods, and is among a flurry of housing bills that have been advancing in this year’s legislative session.
The Virginian-Pilot
(February 14, 2026)
Data centers can indeed be a boon to the commonwealth and localities, generating property tax revenue and short-term construction jobs. But, in this and future sessions, lawmakers need to shield Virginians from bearing greater costs in higher electrical bills, potential water shortages, noise and other detrimental effects.
Time
(February 19, 2026)
One icy morning in February, nearly 200 people gathered in a church in downtown Richmond, Va. Most had awakened before dawn and driven in from across the state. There were Republicans and Democrats from rural farms and D.C. exurbs. They shared one goal: to fight back against AI development in a region with the largest concentration of data centers in the world.
This article references the Feb. 9 Data Center Reform Lobby Day in Richmond, which was organized by PEC and other organizations in the Virginia Data Center Reform Coalition.
Newsweek
(February 18, 2026)
An elderly farmer turned down millions of dollars offered to him by developers which would have seen his family farm "destroyed" and turned into data centers. Mervin Raudabaugh, 86, from Cumberland County in Pennsylvania, declined an offer of more than $15 million from developers, who wanted to buy the land he had farmed on for decades.
The National News Desk
(February 18, 2026)
How the sprawling facilities impact energy prices will only grow more prominent as more are built and their demand for electricity grows. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have estimated data centers will account for up to 21% of global energy demand by 2030.
The New York Times
(February 18, 2026)
Meta is preparing to spend $65 million this year to boost state politicians who are friendly to the artificial intelligence industry, beginning this week in Texas and Illinois, according to company representatives.
The New York Times
(February 18, 2026)
Across the country, Democratic-led states are accelerating their efforts to address climate change as action stalls at the federal level. Their initiatives took on newfound urgency last week, when the Trump administration moved to stop regulating greenhouse gases from the burning of fossil fuels, the main driver of Earth’s dangerous warming.
Politico
(February 17, 2026)
Our polling of more than 2,000 people found that nearly half of Americans expect the explosion of these projects to be a campaign issue in their area in the next five years — setting up the midterms as a new test of voter appetites for the build-out and energy costs of AI.
Utility Dive
(February 17, 2026)
The PJM Interconnection’s board last week approved $11.8 billion in baseline transmission projects, with Dominion Energy’s Virginia utility landing roughly $4.8 billion in those projects. The projects are part of PJM’s 2025 Regional Transmission Expansion Plan Window 1...
Forbes
(February 16, 2026)
Even a tiny amount of flexibility from a data center can unlock capacity for other large loads to come online. “Flexibility is going to become a form of currency,” Nelson notes. The good news is that limited demand shifting, combined with storage, can delay or eliminate the need for costly grid upgrades. On-site storage allows operators to maintain power quality, ride through disturbances, and continue operating during outages.
The Cool Down
(February 14, 2026)
Data centers powering tech and AI use massive amounts of energy to operate, and where all that power comes from could have serious implications for the planet. "Diesel combustion is one of the dirtiest forms of generation we know," said Chris Miller, president of nonprofit The Piedmont Environmental Council, per Inside Climate News. "It's only supposed to be for emergency use."
CNBC
(February 12, 2026)
Families won’t see relief from rising electricity prices anytime soon, as demand from artificial intelligence data centers soars while power supply grows slowly, according to Goldman Sachs. Electricity prices jumped 6.9% in 2025 year over year, more than double the headline inflation rate of 2.9%, Goldman analysts told clients in a research note published Wednesday.
