The Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) supports HB1515, introduced by Delegate Irene Shin last Friday. This bill aligns with PEC’s data center reform efforts to pause approvals of hyperscale data center proposals.
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Virginia Conservation Network’s Our 2026 Common Agenda Environmental Briefing Book
The Piedmont Environmental Council and the Coalition for Smarter Growth are proud to have co-authored six of the 47 briefing papers in Virginia Conservation Network’s Our 2026 Common Agenda Environmental Briefing Book…
Join Us at the State Capitol on Feb. 9 for Data Center Reform!
The Virginia Data Center Reform Coalition will once again host our Data Center Reform Lobby Day in Richmond, VA, providing a unique opportunity to meet face-to-face with your legislators and make your voice heard on critical data center issues impacting you and your community each day.
General Assembly Snapshot: 2026
The Virginia General Assembly will convene for a 60-day session beginning Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. PEC staff have co-authored several briefing papers that form the framework of the Virginia Conservation Network’s legislative priorities. Below, we break down some of the key issues we are tracking in the upcoming session.
Data Center Reform Lobby Day
The Data Center Reform Coalition is excited to announce our 2026 Lobby Day slated for February 9, 2026. Together, we are urging state lawmakers to take action on the unchecked, exponential growth of data centers in Virginia.
Data Center Reform Campaign Continues
In the pre-dawn hours in a Haymarket parking lot, a few dozen people huddled in record cold temperatures as they made their way to the warm glow of a charter bus. Their destination: Richmond. Their mission: convince legislators to enact data center reform during the 2025 General Assembly session.
General Assembly Update – Spring 2025
Every day, Piedmont Environmental Council staff engage at the local, state and federal level to shape public policy with an eye toward protecting natural resources and advancing sustainability. These efforts include the annual Virginia General Assembly, which convened on Jan. 8 for a short session during which legislators introduced and considered over 2,000 pieces of legislation.
Virginia citizens and businesses have opportunity to weigh in with the SCC on data centers and the long term impact on their energy costs
The General Assembly failed to pass meaningful data center reform, despite the introduction of bi-partisan bills to rein in data center impacts and protect Virginia ratepayers from increased energy costs. Now, all eyes are on the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC), a state agency that has regulatory jurisdiction over our utilities.