Data Center Pause Removed from Tonight’s Board of Supervisors’ Meeting
The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors removed a proposed 12-month pause on processing certain data center applications from its meeting agenda and deferred it to November. The delay follows legal questions about the county’s authority and ongoing community debate over data centers’ effects on utilities, residents and the environment.
The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors postponed consideration of a proposed 12-month pause on processing legislative applications for data centers, moving the item from its scheduled meeting to the second meeting in November. County Chair Phyllis J. Randall said County Attorney Leo Rogers will consult with members of the legal community before the matter returns to the board.
Supervisor Juli E. Briskman, who proposed the measure, criticized Randall for removing it from the agenda and said the policy has broad community support. The proposal follows a previous 7-1-1 board vote directing staff to draft the pause, amid packed public-comment signups and continuing disputes over data centers’ effects on homes, utility bills, infrastructure and the environment.