Virginia Senator Calls for Statewide Moratorium on Data Center Approvals
Virginia Senator Glen Sturtevant is advocating for an immediate statewide moratorium on data center approvals, citing severe strain on the state's electricity grid and declining water resources. He argues that current local zoning decisions are insufficient to address the broad statewide impacts and costs associated with rapid data center expansion. Sturtevant calls for Governor Abigail Spanberger to issue an executive order to pause development and allow for a comprehensive assessment of these issues.
Virginia Senator Glen Sturtevant is urging Governor Abigail Spanberger to implement an immediate executive order for a statewide moratorium on data center approvals. His call comes in response to an electrical fault affecting Northern Virginia data centers and a newly released groundwater study warning of severely constrained water supplies in eastern Virginia.
Sturtevant highlights the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission's (JLARC) findings that data center growth is projected to double Virginia's electricity demand within ten years, without a comprehensive plan to meet this need reliably and affordably. He raises concerns about the fairness of ratepayers subsidizing infrastructure costs while local communities receive tax revenues, citing JLARC estimates of an additional $14 to $37 in monthly utility costs for a typical Dominion residential customer. Sturtevant notes that the economic benefits from data centers are mostly during construction, with limited permanent job creation.
Beyond electricity, water resources face similar strain, with the state's groundwater study indicating that eastern Virginia is unlikely to provide a reliable water supply for industrial data centers using evaporative cooling. He criticizes Virginia's new electricity consumption tax on data centers as insufficient, arguing it fails to address the fundamental questions of where these facilities belong or if continued expansion is justified.
During the recent General Assembly session, Senator Sturtevant introduced Senate Bill 552 to mandate comprehensive site assessments and environmental review for data centers. While some limited measures passed, the legislature did not establish the comprehensive statewide framework he believes is necessary. He asserts that a moratorium is crucial to provide the state with time to evaluate the long-term costs to utility bills, grid reliability, and natural resources before committing to further irreversible data center expansion.