State Legislators Talk Data Centers, E-Bikes at Brambleton Town Hall, Look to 2027
Virginia legislators held a town hall in Brambleton focused on residents' concerns about data centers, electricity demand, transmission infrastructure and water consumption. They discussed newly enacted data center electricity taxes and water-use transparency requirements, as well as potential 2027 legislation addressing substations, onsite generation and grid strain.
Del. Marty Martinez, Del. JJ Singh and Sen. Kannan Srinivasan discussed data center impacts with Brambleton residents at an Oct. 8 town hall. They highlighted legislation creating a $0.011-per-kilowatt-hour data center electricity tax, requiring utilities to optimize existing infrastructure before building new facilities, and requiring quarterly publication of data center water consumption beginning Jan. 1.
The legislators are considering additional measures for 2027, including stricter screening and setback policies for substations and alternatives to natural-gas generation. Singh cited strong public concern about gas turbines at a Sterling data center, while residents also remain concerned about transmission lines, grid strain and the Virginia State Corporation Commission's handling of a Dominion Energy-NextEra Energy merger application. The legislators said the proposed ideas remain in early development.