"We need to make sure that we do not do anything to kill the golden goose. I really don't care about a specific industry," Scott says. "I care about keeping our word to businesses that we attract, and that we want to retain in the Commonwealth of Virginia. That's what I care about."

State’s largest utility is proposing a 45% electricity-rate increase for data centers and a 14.5% hike for households. No one is happy.

The N.C. House of Representatives voted Wednesday to advance legislation that puts some guardrails around data center development in the state while also preventing Duke Energy from retiring coal- or gas-fired power plants until it obtains permission to build a new nuclear plant.

Residents of eastern Prince William County are voicing their apprehension over the budding proliferation of data centers into their communities, with the tech hubs no longer confined to the western end of the county.

According to a DEQ notice of enforcement action, the DEQ fined ADS $72,067.80 for violating three conditions of its minor New Source Permit (mNSR) that was issued Oct. 30, 2024, and allows for 186 non-emergency and 15 emergency generators.

Virginia has spent years building the infrastructure powering AI, but researchers and residents are still trying to answer questions about what data centers mean for air quality, water systems and public health.

The project by Charlotte, North Carolina-based TAC Data Centers would require more than a gigawatt — 1,000 megawatts — of power capacity and would consist of about nine to 11 buildings totaling 3.5 million to 4 million square feet on approximately 1,000 acres.

The 1.6-million-acre watershed known as the ACE Basin is more than a natural landscape. It is a movement that continues to grow and evolve as more folks buy into the shared vision and more property in the project area is conserved. It is a unique brand of South Carolina nature preservation and one of the South’s greatest conservation success stories. A tiny yellow sign threatened to bend the plot in an entirely different direction.

Americans’ support for data centers cratered over the past nine months. Rising electricity prices are a big part of the reason.

The Aspen substation proposed along Cochran Mill Road next to an existing substation is part of expanding power grid infrastructure expected to include multiple substations and transmission line links. But this substation and others have met pushback from Loudoun’s supervisors, frustrated over the impacts to community members and pushing for better locations, upgraded technology and design improvements.

Residents who live on St. Pauls Road said their lives will be upended by the 500-acre Dahlgren West data center campus. But the project was approved unanimously last August, and the supervisors informed them that it’s a done deal.

An increasing population, proliferation of data centers, climate change and the possibility of accidents closing access to the river’s water are all threats, according to the general manager of Fairfax Water.

While Democratic legislators and Governor Abigail Spanberger say they’re getting closer to an agreement and are confident they’ll come up with a budget before the June 30 deadline, some say the extended impasse is already sparking uncertainty across the Commonwealth - including for Virginia’s schools.

As Virginia regulators and legislators grapple with the impact of data centers’ huge demand for electricity on other ratepayers’ bills, Sen. Mark Warner is co-sponsoring legislation for a national approach. Among other things, the Power for the People Act of 2026 directs states to follow Virginia’s lead and consider setting special rates and conditions for data centers.

A proposed tech park in Virginia has been halted after months of local opposition, with residents warning that the development could put significant pressure on water, electricity, and the county's rural character. In a 4-3 vote, the Hanover County Board of Supervisors rejected the motions needed to move the nearly 430-acre project forward.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella used a conference keynote on Tuesday to defend against one of the biggest challenges to the company's massive AI datacenter buildout: Community backlash. Microsoft in January released a plan to build what the company called "community-first" AI infrastructure, making promises including that its data centers won't raise electricity rates for residents.

Mital Gandhi remembers watching the 2024 NBA Finals on TV at his home in Ashburn, Virginia, when he realized something wasn't right. Instead of hearing the ball bouncing or the intermittent squeaks from shoes on the hardwood, his ears could only focus on a constant hum. That hum, he said, came from one of the four data centers less than 2,000 feet away from his property.

After sustained questions about water, noise, power and the future of Strasburg’s industrial park, the town is setting aside a night for residents to ask about data centers and hear answers in return. The Town Council will hold a public forum at 7 p.m. Monday, June 15, in the old gym at Strasburg High School, 250 Ram Drive. Mayor Brandy Hawkins Boies will moderate.

Dominion Energy officials defended the proposed Valley Link transmission project before the Culpeper County Board of Supervisors on May 19, arguing that rising electricity demand driven largely by data center growth is forcing the utility to expand Virginia’s transmission infrastructure.

Americans have changed their minds about data centers. Decisively. At least seven in 10 Americans would now oppose a data center being built near their home, according to a new Heatmap Pro poll, a record low that reveals a staggering shift in public opinion against the facilities powering the artificial intelligence boom.

Chairing the session, Julie Bolthouse, director of land use at the Piedmont Environmental Council, opened by setting out how a single data centre can use up to a million gallons of water a day, with clusters of facilities creating particular concern in areas of water scarcity.

ERCOT votes to speed the process of interconnecting data centers to the grid by evaluating batches of projects at once, and to require that data centers and cryptocurrency-mining facilities stay online during brief grid disruptions.

“Delegate Luke Torian, Chair, House Appropriations and his staff met with Senate Finance Appropriations staff and me for a very spirited discussion about the budget,” Senate Appropriations Committee Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, said in a social media post Tuesday afternoon.

The mayor’s recommendation came after a discussion at a meeting Tuesday about the four types of data centers and potential amendments to the city’s current zoning regulations related to them. “At this point, I would really recommend just banning data centers in Virginia Beach,” Dyer said. “These things are not good neighbors. I wouldn’t want to live near one.”

Perry and McAuliff expressed support for terminating the program early, calling it a value statement. Perry said the program initially involved a few million dollars of forgone tax revenue. Today, the program costs $1.9 billion. “It has blossomed and bloomed in ways that I don't think anyone foresaw,” she said.