“We have never faced any challenge like this before.” Kim Hosen, founder and executive director of Prince William Conservation Alliance. privately said in late 2021. “This fight is going to have to take on a life of its own if we are going to win.” Less than two years later she would be gone, after a valiant battle with cancer.
Kim WAS RIGHT. And guess what? Western Prince William residents sparked a backlash against the most influential monied industry in the history of mankind. She showed us the way. By building partnerships, educating our elected leaders, and our neighbors, near AND far, we drew a line in the sand.
“A coalition of local, regional and national conservation groups are organizing the opposition against a plan for data centers and other industrial uses in Prince William County’s “rural crescent,” laying the groundwork for what may become a major land-use brawl in the coming months.”
“The Prince William Conservation Alliance, The Coalition to Protect Prince William County, the Piedmont Environmental Council, a regional nonprofit – as well as the American Battlefield Trust and the National Parks Conservation Association, two national associations – held an informational event at Sunshine Ridge Winery in Gainesville on Wednesday, Nov. 10, attended by around 130 people.”
“The organizations are sounding the alarm about the impact of “industrial sprawl” on rural communities, historic sites, wildlife and the Occoquan watershed in Prince William County, where thousands of acres are being considered for potential data centers and other industrial uses.”
We have shown the world what happens when a “seemingly” unstoppable force meets an immovable object. The data center industry, the tech bro’s, and far too many elected leaders underestimated and miscalculated the power of the people.
With the defeat of the Digital Gateway after an epic five-year battle, and then a project double its size, Dulles Cloud South, never even making it out of the gate, we have proven — the People are the immovable object.
Recently, our Board of Supervisors, in a unanimous vote, withdrew from pursuing a Virginia Supreme Court challenge to the Digital Gateway. Then this past week on Tuesday July 7th, in another unanimous vote, the board denied initiating Dulles Cloud South, another ridiculous dystopian digital hellscape, bigger than the Digital Gateway, with all the same problems.
Digital Gateway data center project in Prince William dies | Prince William | insidenova.com
Prince William supervisors reject Dulles Cloud South data center proposal
“Prince William County supervisors voted against a rezoning proposal for the Dulles Cloud South data center project Tuesday, less than a week after developers retreated from a legal battle over building the 1,760-acre Digital Gateway data center complex in the county.”
“The Dulles Cloud South project would have been the largest in county history, topping out at nearly 2,000 acres allowing 43 million square feet of floor space for data centers.”
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1dMUwCd4iH/
https://youtu.be/vPjV3SZ3YLU?si=uJsDNW_4xNHLyFY3
The risk to our homes, our water, our air, and our energy grid is being pushed to the edge.
This 21st industrial era, with its Tech Bro Robber Barons has gone too far. With little to no transparency, oversight, enforceable guardrails, or accountability, there is legislative work ahead.
Our collective efforts have drawn a line in the sand.
The hard work in the days ahead must include our elected leaders at every level of government, including the State Corporation Commission, mitigating the harm to our neighbors as a result of all the projects that have been built and that are in the pipeline. We know, by sticking together, we can face this challenge.
Blackstone’s QTS Abandons Massive Data Center in Virginia – Bloomberg
Please stay tuned for details on a community celebration!
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