Dear Coalition Supporters,
“…Data Centers could actually be hurting our wallets…”
Year after year this community boarded buses in the cold and headed to Richmond in the pre-dawn hours, with the intention of convincing our legislators that data center proliferation was a threat not only to our communities, but to the Commonwealth as a whole. It now looks like some folks are starting to pay attention.
It has been our relentless pursuit of accountability and justice that has culminated in the non-partisan objective truth of the JLARC (Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission) report.
Here is the full report here JLARC | Data Centers in Virginia AND presentation PowerPoint Presentation.
Here is what stood out to us: That the risk vs the benefit of industrializing Virginia — not only specific communities that suffer the greatest loss of quality of life, but the burden to us all — comes at too high a price, literally and figuratively.
Not only are we dealing with the massive multitude of data center footprints themselves, which include ugly substations for each and webs of massive 105 tall transmission lines; but now add in gas plants and nuclear reactors to generate all their power.
When will this end? HOW do WE fit into this dystopian industrial future?
It is not too late to make a difference. Our strongest weapon is the truth, so be prepared with the facts.
-> See SCC Tech Conference, and Delegate Ian Lovejoy Town Hall details below. Take action now to participate. <-
“…Building enough infrastructure to meet unconstrained energy demand will be very difficult, with or without meeting VCEA requirements (Scenario 1) It will be very difficult to build new generation and transmission in Virginia fast enough to match unconstrained demand by 2040 (Scenario 1) and would require a massive and sustained build-out of new renewable, carbon, nuclear, and storage facilities (Figure 3-5). Build rates would have to greatly outpace what has been accomplished historically. Solar facilities would have to be added at about twice the annual rate they were added in 2024, and the amount of new wind generation needed (8,800 MW) would exceed the potential capabilities of all offshore wind sites that have so far been secured for future development (7,400 MW). New natural gas plants would have to be added at a rate of one large 1,500 MW plant almost every year (without meeting Commission draft 30 Chapter 3: Energy Impacts VCEA requirements) or almost every 1.5 years (meeting VCEA requirements) for 15 consecutive years, which would be faster than the rate they were added during the busiest build period of the last decade in the state. Additional pipeline capacity may also need to be added to serve such a substantial increase in natural gas generation, which would create additional challenges. The unconstrained demand scenario would also require building more nuclear generation, presumably using new technologies…”
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Read the Press Release from PEC today: Commission Study Confirms that Energy Demand is Out of Control, Threatening The Community with Higher Costs and Impacts Across the State and Beyond – The Piedmont Environmental Council
More coverage:
New report details benefits and challenges of data centers in Virginia | wusa9.com
JLARC data center report examines energy impact, sales tax exemption – Fredericksburg Free Press
Under pressure from the SCC, Dominion reveals the true cost of data centers • Virginia Mercury
“Unprecedented” energy demand from data centers poses big challenges for Virginia, commission says
VA: Data centers may mean big cost increases for ratepayers
Data centers driving ‘immense increase’ in Virginia’s energy demand – Cardinal News
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MULTIPLE EVENTS TO TAKE ACTION:
-> SCC Technical Conference
December 16
9:15 am – 5:00 pm
1300 E. Main Street – 2nd floor
Richmond, VA
(Full details here)
The technical conference will be open to the public with no advance registration required. The technical conference will also be available for viewing via live webcast. A link to the webcast of this event will be available at Virginia SCC – Webcasts.
-> Delegate Ian Lovejoy’s Town Hall
December 19th
Register and Attend
7-8:30 pm Patriot HS
10504 Kettle Run Road, Nokesville, VA 20181 – auditorium
to discuss the findings from the data center JLARC (Joint Legislative Audit & Review Commission) study, to include impacts to our community, and potential legislative strategies at the state level.
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And check out this Bloomberg story on QTS and their Corporate Parent, Blackstone, ruining more communities, only this one in Georgia.
Watch Blackstone Stirs Blowback With $100 Billion-Plus AI Plan – Bloomberg
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Your donation helps with our on-going activities.
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Check out the Coalition Twitter page! The “handle” is: @CoalitionProPWC