Dear Coalition Supporters,
Pat yourselves on the back. For TEN years, and especially the last four, this community has been the spark lighting the fire that has exposed the dreadful impacts of unregulated data center growth.
We’re very much front and center in national news. Coalition Director Karen Sheehan didn’t hold back when declaring “We don’t need all of these data centers!”: https://youtu.be/Jx5-2uKnI4s?si=SCm5h7NP3f_2c4ca
This community has NEVER stopped getting out the truth. And while our work is not done, let’s revel in the progress. There are MORE ways YOU can make a difference (see below); we still have time to save so much of Virginia and our own communities.
Under pressure from the SCC, Dominion reveals the true cost of data centers
“Ever since data centers started spreading across the Virginia landscape like an invasive pest, one important question has remained unanswered: How much does the industry’s insatiable demand for energy impact other utility customers? Under pressure from the SCC, this month Dominion Energy Virginia finally provided the answer we feared: Ordinary Virginia customers are subsidizing Big Tech with both their money and their health.”
Column: Dominion, data centers are fleecing VA ratepayers
“The problem is no one is taking responsibility for evaluating how this new infrastructure will be paid for or whether the impacts are worth the investment. Virginia is already building infrastructure on an emergency basis in response to peak loads that exceed capacity. Those huge power lines and substations are destroying the quality of life in nearby communities.”
“How did this happen? We have allowed an energy “crisis by contract” under which Dominion and Big Tech signed contracts which are a bad deal for ratepayers. A crisis resulted. Now they expect ratepayers to fix it. Local governments, the State Corporation Commission, and the General Assembly took a hands-off approach, allowing individual municipalities to approve data center proposals without oversight of the impacts on statewide electrical infrastructure. Dominion Energy then entered into contracts for power with tech companies like Amazon, Google and Microsoft, to provide power it does not generate and for which there is not sufficient transmission to import from other utilities in other states.”
Here’s What Happens When Big Data Takes Over a Small Town | Sierra Club
“It’s no accident that this bucolic scene of rolling hills, two-lane roads, and horse pastures still exists just 20 miles from downtown Washington, DC. In 1998, the Prince William Board of County Supervisors adopted a comprehensive plan to protect the area from the tentacles of urban sprawl creeping from the nation’s capital.”
“But no one foresaw the threat that booming technologies like cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence would pose to this rural enclave. Data centers already occupy 8 million square feet of space in the county. If all the proposed new data centers are built, that number could balloon to 80 million. Some advocacy groups predict that the amount of electricity these centers would need is enough to power five New York Citys.”
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The SCC is holding a hearing – open to the public – on the impacts of Data Center Power Demand in Virginia. No more obfuscating.
Who is the SCC? – State Corporate Commission:
“The State Corporation Commission is an independent state agency established by the Constitution of Virginia. The General Assembly, through the legislative process, imparts responsibilities upon the Commission. Additionally, the Commission is authorized to issue its own rules and regulations to help it carry out its statutory responsibilities.”
SCC Forum December 16, 2024 – 9:15 AM
Watch this new video released by Piedmont Environmental Council and be reminded why we can’t give up: Virginia’s Parks and Battlefields are at Risk
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