Virginia county considers pause before final data center regulations are ready
Loudoun County, Virginia, is considering a pause on data center applications while it finalizes new regulations for the industry. A county supervisor requested a moratorium, but the county lawyer advised it would be illegal. Other Virginia jurisdictions have also paused data center activity.
Democratic Supervisor Juli Briskman requested that the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors explore enacting a moratorium on data center applications during a recent meeting. This consideration comes as the county anticipates finalizing new regulations for the data center industry by spring.
However, Leo Rogers, the county lawyer, advised the supervisors that such a moratorium would be illegal. The debate over data centers in Virginia, which currently hosts 653 facilities according to DataCenterMap, often centers on concerns regarding local resource strain, including water depletion and grid reliability, as well as noise, air, and industrial pollution, and land destruction. Other Virginia jurisdictions, such as Fluvanna County, Front Royal, and potentially Suffolk City, have also implemented or considered similar pauses.