Dear Supporters –
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” (Margaret Mead)
As promised by the Coalition to Protect PWC, Chap Petersen Counsel for the Coalition, yesterday filed a lawsuit to vacate the PWC Board of Supervisor’s December 13th decision on the Digital Gateway.
Donate here to help us with the costs of this necessary litigation! We can’t do this without YOUR help!
Group files suit over Prince William Digital Gateway data center project – The Washington Post
https://www.fox5dc.com/video/1394943
Residents File Lawsuits Over Prince William Digital Gateway (dcist.com)
Virginia residents launch another lawsuit over data centers | wusa9.com
| Prince William County homeowners sue to stop massive data center development The fight to stop a massive data center development in Prince William County is being revived by two lawsuits filed by homeowners who live near the Digital Gateway project near the Manassas Battlefield. The lawsuits say the Board of Supervisors failed to follow state law and its own county ordinances when it approved rezoning for 2,100 acres of mostly rural… www.nbcwashington.com |
(BTW – If you are missing a tripod left behind at the press conference, let Karen know – she has it! Drop her an email: contact@protectpwc.org)
But our FAVORITE article is InsideNoVa.
| ‘A dystopian hellscape:’ PW Digital Gateway opponents sue to block data center corridor A group of Gainesville-area residents and an activist organization sued Prince William County and two tech developers on Friday to block construction of the PW Digital Gateway, which is expected www.insidenova.com |
“…The residents, joined by the nonprofit American Battlefield Trust, alleged it was illegal for the Board of County Supervisors in December to grant an approval of 23 million square feet of data centers on roughly 2,100 acres along Pageland Lane in western Prince William near Gainesville.”
“Plaintiffs argue their quality of life, as well as the nearby historical resources such as the Manassas Battlefield National Park, will be blemished by “drab behemoth” data centers that will “change the Properties from a rare island of rural living in Northern Virginia into a dystopian hellscape…”
“…All plaintiffs are represented by former Democratic state Sen. Chap Petersen, who has recently taken to fighting Prince William County data center approvals, including the nearby Devlin Technology Park. The suit is being funded by the anti-data center Coalition to Protect Prince William County.”
“What we are here today to describe is the threats to homeowners, the threats to our past, our present and our future,” coalition Executive Director Elena Schlossberg said at a news conference announcing the litigation Friday. “This is the most consequential land-use case I believe the state of Virginia will ever experience…”
Please read the press release by Plaintiff American Battlefield Trust.
And here is the Coalition lawsuit. Donate here to help us with the costs of this necessary litigation!
Here is the Oak Valley lawsuit.
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We have more exciting news! With data center issues hot in the press (see this FT article!), it’s time to repeat our efforts in Richmond.
It has become abundantly apparent that there must be State oversight. The Coalition, along with our environmental partners, PEC and National Parks and Conservation Association, are once again planning a bus to Richmond to finally put some guardrails around the data center industry.
Data Center Legislation — Bus to Richmond Tickets, Wed, Jan 31, 2024 at 5:00 AM | Eventbrite
| Data Center Legislation — Bus to Richmond Join your community on the Data Center Legislation Bus to support groundbreaking bills addressing data centers & our quality of life! www.eventbrite.com |
Reserve your spot on the bus NOW before all the seats are filled! This is your chance to make a real difference on the votes during the General Assembly this year.
And if you have any doubt, why YOU need to be a “somebody” that makes a difference: Watch this fantastic and powerful short video of why we must all play a role in reversing the current trajectory of data centers anywhere and everywhere.
Hidden Costs of the Cloud: Data Centers in Virginia (youtube.com)
| Hidden Costs of the Cloud: Data Centers in Virginia Virginia is undergoing a massive economic, technological, and environmental transformation, all centered around the activities of one industry: data centers. This massive industry is continuing to grow extremely fast, requiring huge amounts of energy, land, and water to operate, resulting in widespread community impacts. Yet, the Commonwealth … www.youtube.com |