Sturtevant presses Spanberger for data center pause
Virginia Sen. Glen Sturtevant is renewing his call for a statewide moratorium on new data center approvals in Virginia, citing concerns about strain on the electric grid, water resources, and rising utility costs. Gov. Abigail Spanberger has not supported a statewide pause, instead pointing to measures aimed at making data centers bear more of their growth-related costs. The debate over data center expansion continues at both state and local levels.
Virginia Sen. Glen Sturtevant, R-Chesterfield, is intensifying his campaign for a statewide moratorium on new data center approvals, urging Gov. Abigail Spanberger to support the pause. Sturtevant released a new campaign ad emphasizing that data centers are straining the state's power grid, consuming millions of gallons of water, and increasing electric bills for families, despite layoffs in the tech sector.
Governor Spanberger has not publicly endorsed a statewide moratorium. Instead, she has highlighted existing measures designed to shift more of the infrastructure costs associated with data center growth onto the industry. These include a framework approved by the State Corporation Commission requiring large-load customers, such as data centers, to cover more of their direct-connect transmission facilities, and a new electricity consumption tax of $0.011 per kilowatt-hour implemented on July 1. Sturtevant argues that localized decisions made by individual counties are insufficient to address the broader statewide impacts of continued data center expansion.