VCU poll reveals Virginians' concerns about data centers
A new poll shows that nearly 8 in 10 Virginia voters believe data centers should pay additional fees for electricity, and over 70% oppose tax exemptions for them. The article highlights strong community opposition, particularly in Chesterfield County where Google is planning projects, and legislative efforts to regulate data center development across the state.
The L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs released a new Commonwealth Poll on July 15, indicating significant concern among Virginia voters regarding data centers. The poll found that nearly 80% of registered voters believe data centers should pay additional fees to compensate for increased electricity demands, and over 70% oppose sales tax exemptions for these facilities. Virginia currently leads the country in planned data centers, with future facilities slated for Chesterfield, Henrico, Petersburg, and Goochland.
Mary Finley-Brook, a Professor at the University of Richmond and member of Data Center Defiance (DCD), an advocacy group in Central Virginia, stated that companies like Google, Meta, QTS, Chirisa, and Tracts are actively building in the Richmond area. She noted that local governments often feel pressured by developers. Google recently held community open houses for three proposed data center campuses in Chesterfield—Project Peanut, Project Skye, and Project Loch—where residents expressed strong opposition. Courtney Bernhardt, a Chesterfield resident and DCD member, voiced concerns about environmental impact, noise, and water body impacts, advocating for clean energy commitments and noise monitoring from developers.
A petition signed by over 2,500 people was submitted to Chesterfield County, demanding public disclosure of negotiations and agreements with data center developers, and seeking to end non-disclosure agreements. State legislators are also active on the issue: Sen. Glen Sturtevant (R-Colonial Heights) urged Gov. Abigail Spanberger to implement an immediate pause on data center approvals and development in Virginia, and his previous bill requiring site assessments and environmental reviews failed. Sen. Mike Jones (D-Richmond) announced plans to introduce two bills in the 2027 session to ban NDAs for data center projects and require public hearings and disclosure.
Jones emphasized that the average Virginian is impacted by increased electricity costs, advocating for data centers to be "good neighbors" without depleting natural resources or raising the cost of living. Gov. Spanberger also intervened in a proposed merger between Dominion Energy and NextEra Energy, citing concerns about affordability and clean energy.