Dan Helmer – Coalition to Protect Prince William County – Questions Relating to Data Centers 053124
5/31/24
Coalition to Protect Prince William County – Questions Relating to Data Centers
For Virginia Congressional 7th and 10th District Candidates
1. Right now, data centers alone account for 20% of the electricity provided statewide by
Dominion Energy, and over 50% of the electricity provided by NOVEC service territory.
Those percentages are growing. Do you think this is sustainable? What is your position
on the growth of Data Centers in northern Virginia over the past decade? (Please
provide response here)
In 2021 I proud to be one of the first legislators to write a letter to the Prince William
County Board of Supervisors questioning the soundness of future development, and I
was proud to be the chief co-patron for the first bill to pass the House of Delegates this
year that would enable site assessments to examine the effects of data centers on water
usage and carbon emissions within the locality. I took these actions because my core
belief is that the government must listen to the community when considering
development, and when it comes to data centers in northern Virginia, the community
hasn’t been heard. It is critical to the 21st Century economy that we have the
infrastructure to power the AI Revolution and digital economy, but that can’t be at the
expense of livable communities.
2. The Coalition to Save Prince William County is currently participating in a lawsuit to
block the Digital Gateway, which would site 23 million square feet of Data Centers within
a half-mile of Manassas National Battlefield Park. Will you support Federal legislation to
prohibit Data Centers within close proximity of national parks and historic sites? (Please
provide response here)
I believe that we must preserve the character of our protected lands both in VA-10 and
across the country. Whether it’s data centers or drilling, we need to ensure that public
lands set aside for conservation and historical significance under current law remain
protected, and I will continue to stand for this in Congress as I have in the House of
Delegates.
3. The growth of Data Centers requires the use of additional power plants, mainly coal-fired
and gas-fired, to provide sufficient “baseload” power, thereby nullifying the purpose of
the Virginia Clean Economy Act passed in 2020. Will you support Federal legislation to
limit Data Centers by requiring that they only use renewable sources and comply with
the federal governments energy star program ENERGY STAR NextGen Certification for
Commercial Buildings | ENERGY STAR? (Please provide response here)
As one of the Chief Co-Patrons of the Virginia Clean Economy Act, I strongly support
moving all power generation to carbon free sources as quickly as possible and ensuring
commercial development is built to conserve energy use. One reason we want to keep
data centers in the United States, however, is that we want them to be subject to our
laws and regulations that will ensure a transition to renewable instead of offshoring them
to the world’s worst polluters. In Congress, I would work to craft legislation that ensures
data center development meets aggressive energy portfolio standards that aggressively
reduce carbon emissions as a result of Data Center development.
4. Given the explosive load demand from Data Centers that is triggering transmission lines
which cross not only county boundaries but also state lines, is it appropriate that the
Federal government usurp State authority by designating power corridors under the
jurisdiction of NIETC? (Please provide response here)
I believe that we need significant reforms to the structure and governance of the grid,
and we need to do that at the federal level. This is an imperative not just to address the
data center issue but to ensure that we make the transition to renewable energy sources
rapidly to mitigate the worst effects of climate change. The current grid cannot support
the renewable energy needs of the future, and I’m committed to ensuring through federal
intervention to ensure that our grid meets our evolving clean energy needs. However, I
remain committed to including the community’s views in that process, which is why I
have always championed legislation that does so.
5. Public utilities have a cost sharing structure that spreads investments for new
transmission and generation across all rate payers. Given that the Data Center industry
is the trigger for a significant portion of the new transmission and generation
infrastructure, in what ways do you support a more appropriate cost shift to the data
center industry? (Please provide response here)
I have always believed that big business needs to pay its fair share in our economy
whether that is in taxes or electricity rates, and I do not believe industry is paying its fair
share here. I support efforts to ensure that business users pay their fair share, and it’s
not laid on the backs of consumers and would support such efforts in Congress.
6. As a federal official, in order to understand the cumulative impacts of the data center
industry demand on power, water, and agricultural land, will you support a
comprehensive report on the impacts to those critical resources? (Please provide response
here)
Absolutely – I was proud to support legislation this year in Richmond that, for the first
time, passed the House of Delegates that enabled site assessments to assess the
impact on water usage and carbon emissions of data centers on the community. I would
support federal efforts to understand those impacts across the country.
7. Please share your understanding of the impacts of data center development on both
ground and surface water resources. How would you address Data Centers’ impervious
surfaces impacts and water consumption to protect access to clean water? (Please
provide response here)
Data Centers can be massive consumers of groundwater through cooling systems while
also creating impermeable barriers to surface water that contribute to erosion and
pollution through runoff. At the federal level, we should prioritize driving the industry
toward low water usage designs and use of permeable surfaces while ensuring data
center siting mitigates potential issues around runoff and erosion.
8. Provide any additional information that outlines steps you have taken to protect citizens
against data center proliferation. (Please provide response here)
Whether it is introducing legislation to ensure community engagement or asking local
officials to be thoughtful in siting of data centers, I’m proud to have been led on seeking
to confront unmitigated data center development. We must chart a sustainable path
forward for Virginia, the country, and the globe that recognizes the importance of the AI
revolution and promise of digital technology, while also addressing the urgent need for
better power sources, diminished footprint, and deep community engagement that
protects our heritage and our homes.
9. Will you use your position as a member of Congress to speak to the issue of data center
proliferation? (Please provide response here)
I view climate change as one of the critical issues confronting our future and our national
security. Getting data center policy right is going to be central to our ability to confront
climate change, and I will be a vocal proponent of thoughtful solutions in Congress