Local organizations warn against environmental harm from data centers
Local organizations and advocates are warning about the significant environmental impact of data centers in Northern Virginia, particularly Fairfax County. They are urging the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and state lawmakers to enact stronger regulations concerning air pollution, water consumption, noise, land development, and electricity use. Key recommendations include updating zoning ordinances, increasing setbacks, ending by-right development, prohibiting data centers near Resource Protection Areas, and implementing strict noise and water standards.
Local organizations and advocates are raising significant concerns about the unchecked expansion of data centers in Northern Virginia, with Fairfax County identified as a high-demand hub. They contend that the rapid growth is outstripping existing regulations, leading to substantial environmental harm.
Morgan Butler, a senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center, highlighted the lack of adequate safeguards for environmental impacts, including air pollution, water consumption, land development, and energy use. He criticized developers' lack of transparency and minimal community engagement. Jay Ford, Virginia Policy Manager for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, echoed these sentiments, stating that the data center boom is moving faster than current laws and calling for strong regulations to protect air and water resources.
Neha Gour from George Mason University’s Center for Climate Change Communication presented research on various health harms, including noise pollution leading to disturbed sleep and elevated stress, and the impact on children's cognitive abilities. She also pointed out the environmental toll of diesel generators, increased electricity demand from fossil fuel plants, and the destruction of vital green spaces. Gour emphasized the need for improved planning, regulation, and design, particularly strict water standards for Virginia, a drought-prone state.
Local advocate Tyler Ray, President of the Bren Pointe HOA, provided specific recommendations to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. These include updating zoning ordinances to increase setbacks from residents, ending by-right development, prohibiting data centers and substations near Resource Protection Areas, and enacting a noise ordinance to limit low-frequency vibrations. Ray asserted that while these protections cost developers, they are essential for residents' health and safety, and decision-makers like Chairman Jeff McKay, Vice Chair Kathy Smith, and Supervisor Andres Jimenez have been unwilling to enforce them.