I’ve spoken many times before the Prince William Board of County Supervisors to share my opinions about the insistent actions they have taken, and continue to take, toward data center expansion outside of the county’s overlay district and into the “rural crescent” and our national landmarks.
There was a recent article in Bisnow that focused on the increasingly hostile environment that data center developers are facing at the local level. It specifically calls out Prince William County and quotes the president of a Boston-based PR firm, saying he “worries that people are only learning what data centers are in the context of their environmental impacts or as a branch of ‘big tech.’” How bold of him? How transparent? He doesn’t debate or dispute our opposition; he simply provides strategies for overcoming it.
The one-sidedness of the current majority on the county board has often left me feeling defeated. But what I’ve come to realize is that I’ve been shortsighted. Their actions are just what we needed to wake people up and embolden their power. The power lies with the people.
In light of this realization, I want to thank the board of supervisors for waking us up through actions that are so incongruent with the will of the people and our desire to protect our natural resources that we have no choice but to take action.
I’ve walked the halls of our state Capitol and the Pocahontas building many, many times. January is just around the corner. I will be walking them again and land use in Prince William County will be on my agenda.
Nadia Stewart
Haymarket