With lawmakers divided and delaying reform, data center approvals should halt until strong safeguards are in place. Proposed study commission is not the solution. 

RICHMOND, VA – As Virginia lawmakers continue to delay meaningful action on the rapidly expanding data center industry, environmental advocates are calling for an immediate moratorium on all new data center approvals, permitting, and grid connections until strong protections are in place for communities and the environment. 

Recent budget negotiations in the House of Delegates have abandoned vital reforms, including enforceable environmental standards. Instead, lawmakers have proposed forming a commission to further study the issue, a move supported by Governor Abigail Spanberger. The Senate proposal of taxing data centers’ dirty backup generators falls far short, failing to address the real environmental and economic burdens facing Virginians. 

At the same time, public opinion has shifted dramatically against data centers, with recent polling showing that seven in ten Virginians oppose having one built near them. Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) Action Fund is joining other environmental organizations calling on Virginia leaders to enact an immediate moratorium on new data center permits and associated infrastructure until strong, enforceable guardrails are in place.   

Mike Tidwell, Executive Director of CCAN Action Fund, issued the following statement: 

“On data centers, Virginia is racing down the highway at 100 miles an hour with no steering wheel and no brakes, and lawmakers are still debating whether to install them. Our lawmakers have had every opportunity to address the growing impacts of the data center industry, yet instead of delivering real solutions, they have chosen delay. Communities across the Commonwealth have made it clear that they want accountability, transparency, and safeguards that ensure this industry does not come at the expense of their health, their environment, or their wallets. Until those protections are in place, moving forward with new data center approvals is simply unacceptable.

Many of these same Virginia lawmakers campaigned on holding the industry accountable amid rising energy costs and growing local opposition. We are calling on Governor Spanberger, the House of Delegates, and the Senate to act now. Not next year. Not after another study. Now. Pause this unchecked growth, put real protections in place, and put us on the road to a safe, sustainable future.”

###

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.