Residents and advocates cap a two-week campaign, demanding a pause on data centers as high electricity bills and new warnings over the Dominion–NextEra merger put affordability in the spotlight

RICHMOND, VA — Over 300 Virginians gathered in Richmond today at the Bell Tower in Capitol Square for the final stop of the two-week March for a Moratorium campaign, calling on state leaders to immediately pause new data-center approvals and put residents’ electric bills, health, and communities first. The Richmond rally caps a statewide series of marches with stops in Alexandria, Culpeper, Winchester, Leesburg, Danville, Virginia Beach, and Roanoke, bringing concerns about unchecked data-center development from communities across the Commonwealth to Virginia’s capital. 

“Thousands of Virginians have made their voice heard over the last two weeks,” said Victoria Higgins, Virginia Director at Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) Action Fund. “Decision makers have a duty to protect Virginians from data center costs and pollution before any more facilities are connected to the grid.”

Virginia’s rapid data-center expansion is placing growing pressure on water resources, the electric grid, and nearby communities. The March for Moratorium campaign calls for a pause that would give policymakers time to establish meaningful protections for residents, public health, the environment, affordability, and transparent local decision-making.

“The Data Center Defiance Coalition stands with the March and seeks a 3-year moratorium on the construction of new data centers,” said Andrew Sidle, Member of the Data Center Defiance Central Virginia Coalition. “Only with that length of time can the affected parties properly examine and appreciate the gravity of how data centers and their accompanying miles of transmission lines and fossil-fuel power plants dramatically disrupt ecosystems and consequently, the adjoining communities, schools, and homes of hundreds of thousands of Virginia families.”

At the Richmond final stop, residents from across the Commonwealth, frontline advocates, and community partners rallied at the Capitol Bell Tower and took part in a brief march around the Virginia General Assembly building, demanding stronger protections for households, water resources, and the electric grid. 

“Over the past two weeks, hundreds of Virginians from every corner of the Commonwealth have marched together with one clear, collective voice: it is time to stop data center development until meaningful reforms are in place that hold data centers to clean energy standards, protect our water supply, lower consumer energy costs, and respect our quality of life,” said Sarah Ahmed, Deputy Director of Campaigns and Advocacy for the Virginia League of Conservation Voters. “It’s time for lawmakers and the governor to recognize that we shouldn’t be making the problem worse while we’re working toward solutions. Until we have strong guardrails in place, no more data center projects should be moving forward.”

“Virginians sent a clear message to our state leaders today: enough is enough.” Says Connor Kish, Director of The Sierra Club Virginia Chapter, “We cannot continue sacrificing our health, our livelihoods, and our communities for the profits of Big Tech. Virginia must enact a statewide pause on data center development until we have enforceable protections that put people, not corporate profits, first.”

The campaign’s final stop comes amid mounting scrutiny of the proposed $67 billion Dominion Energy–NextEra Energy merger. Virginia State Corporation Commission staff have recommended rejecting the merger as currently proposed, citing inadequate customer protections and financial risks. 

“Data centers are the reason NextEra wants Dominion, and that should worry every resident in the Commonwealth,” says Jennifer Corpus, Founder of Friends of Hanover. “Virginians have waited long enough for real protections. We call on Governor Spanberger to denounce the NextEra merger and support a data center moratorium before it’s too late.”

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Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) Action Fund is dedicated to driving change in public policies at the local, state, and national levels to address the climate crisis. Through voter education, lobbying, and participation in the electoral process, we seek to advance our country’s leadership in the global movement toward clean energy solutions — focusing our efforts primarily in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC. We know that a vibrant democracy is central to our success, so we work to defend democratic integrity wherever we can.