The Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) announced the launch of “Virginians for a Smarter Digital Future,” a statewide campaign designed to raise awareness of the impacts of data centers for all Virginia residents — and provide the tools they need to advocate for themselves, as well as their families, businesses and communities.
Data centers
Albemarle Data Center Community Meeting
Join us for a community meeting Tuesday, Sept. 16 from 6-8 p.m. to hear from Julie Bolthouse, PEC’s Director of Land Use and one of the leaders of the Virginia Data Center Reform Coalition, about data centers’ environmental impacts and how advocating for regulations at the state and local level and transparency can achieve better outcomes for communities.
Facts About the Gigaland Data Center Project
A massive data center complex known as Gigaland is being proposed in Remington, Fauquier County VA. The Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) opposes the outsized development, which we believe will overwhelm the town and open the door for more data centers and transmission lines, straining electricity and water supplies in Fauquier and contributing to unhealthy air, noise and water pollution.
Support More Data Center Regulation in Culpeper County!
On Wednesday, Aug. 13, the Culpeper County Planning Commission will vote on a zoning text amendment that would require a conditional use permit for data centers in Culpeper, a much-needed change.
The SCC Must Protect Ratepayers From Big Tech’s Skyrocketing Energy Bill
Weigh in! The State Corporation Commission (SCC) is hearing the 2025 biennial review of Dominion Energy’s rates, terms, and conditions for generation and transmission infrastructure. This rate case is the first opportunity to address the electricity rate structure for the largest concentration of data centers in the world.
Loudoun Updates – Summer 2025
Not only have the months been warmer in Loudoun, but many issues are heating up, too. We have been tracking them all to understand and share the community impacts along with opportunities to speak up.
PEC Presentation on Data Centers
RLEP invites you to hear from PEC President Chris Miller about the explosive data center boom in Northern Virginia and its potentially significant impact on Rappahannock County.
Planning Commission Recommends Denial of Gigaland Data Center Project in Remington, but It Could Still Get Approved
On Wednesday, June 18, the Fauquier County Planning Commission voted 4-1 to recommend that the seven-building, 2.2-million-square-foot data center campus known as “Gigaland” be denied. Although the recommendation to deny is a positive result, the Board of Supervisors can still approve this project at the regular Board meeting on September 11.
Data Centers: Industry Impacts In Virginia
Virginia holds the largest global concentration of data centers anywhere in the world. This multibillion-dollar industry requires huge amounts of energy, land, and water, resulting in widespread community impacts. Without swift intervention, data centers in the Commonwealth will derail critical climate goals and efforts to improve air and water quality, advance land conservation, and protect national and state parks.
Questioning an Explosive Forecast: PEC Intervenes in Dominion IRP
Several years into the data center explosion in our region, the big picture is finally becoming clear to both the public and our decision makers. No longer are our communities just hearing The Piedmont Environmental Council’s warnings about the potential future impacts of this growth; we are all facing the full onslaught of those impacts now.