Dear Supporters –
All the latest you need to know:
Yesterday in Fairfax County the Board of Supervisors, in spite of overwhelming opposition, approved one of the tallest data center buildings in the entire state.
The fact that it passed is indicative of a tremendously pervasive rot.
Our bus to Richmond has a new message: “Citizens Have Had Enough!”
In preparation for our bus trip to Richmond on Jan. 31, you can send some easy-to-send emails supporting the 2024 data center-related legislation:
2024 Legislation Click-to-Send Emails
ANOTHER CRITICAL UPDATE: During a hearing in Richmond, also yesterday, to vote on Senator Danica Roem’s Storm Water Management Bill (SB289), the Chair of the committee disclosed that the committee would NOT be voting on that bill, and many of the other data center legislation bills, in order to instead absorb all of them into a study bill.
The statewide citizen’s grassroots movement influenced multiple Senators and Delegates to submit data center-related legislation. Now, the power brokers in leadership positions in Richmond’s General Assembly, both Republican and Democrat, are clearly signaling that they prefer NO bills be approved in this session which might offend their most “influential” constituents — the Data Center Industry AND Dominion Energy.
We, the tax-paying residents of Virginia, have had enough. For at least eight years, our elected leaders have been complicit in expecting regular citizens to subsidize the wealthiest industry in the world.
We are saying NO MORE.
As evidence: The statement below was submitted to the SCC Judge by the State Corporate Commission Legal Staff in 2016 after the Haymarket Transmission Line Hearing. Using the “line extension policy” argument was the brainchild of the Coalition to Protect PWC to force the data center needing the power (Amazon Web Services “the customer”), to pay out of THEIR OWN piggy bank, instead of resident ratepayers.
In their post-hearing legal brief, the SCC legal staff recommended the data center industry be made to put some of “it’s own skin in the game”…
The SCC Judge rejected this recommendation. But Richmond has had the evidence exposed by the Haymarket transmission line case, aka “Amazon’s extension cord,” that citizens were bearing the brunt of the data center load demand and being forced to sacrifice for the wealthiest industry in the world.
Not only are we being forced to relinquish our quality of life and historic and natural resources; we are also expected to pay for their massive power infrastructure as well?!
We demand our elected leaders step up and provide enforceable and accountable guardrails. We thank the Delegates and Senators who HAVE stepped up to the plate with their sponsored bills.
We hope you will join us in Richmond on Jan. 31. Our citizens, our communities, and our state deserve better.
Our reality is that this data center proliferation IS NOT SUSTAINABLE.
Bisnow: ‘We’re Not Even Close’: Data Center Power Crunch Gets Worse, With No End In Sight
Data center developers are facing a worsening energy crisis that has escalated as utilities struggle to keep up with the needs of the booming industry. And with its power usage being exponentially increased by the adoption of artificial intelligence, experts say the problem isn’t going away any time soon.
Sign these easy click to send emails. The content of each bill is outlined in the text of each email. If you want to review the content, click on each black button.
We have streamlined the process for sending the emails.
- Below the black buttons, fill in all the required information ONE TIME.
- First and last name, complete USPS mailing address, and email address.
- Then click the Red “ADD SIGNATURE” button at the bottom.
Your contact information will be sent in each email — supporting all the bills to every Senator or Delegate on the committees.
Without the General Assembly enacting any MEANINGFUL oversight, we are all being dragged over the cliff. We must demand better.
In addition to meeting with them face-to-face on Jan. 31st – let’s make sure we speak to the legislators through their inboxes as well!
Data Center Legislation — Bus to Richmond Tickets, Wed, Jan 31, 2024 at 5:00 AM | Eventbrite