On May 22, 2024, the Coalition to Protect PWC reached out to all candidates running in the June 18 primaries for the Senate and for the 7th and 10th House Congressional Districts, requesting responses to some hard questions:
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- 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)
- 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)
- 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)
- 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)
- 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)
- 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)
- 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)
- Provide any additional information that outlines steps you have taken to protect citizens against data center proliferation. (Please provide response here)
- Will you use your position as a member of Congress to speak to the issue of data center proliferation? (Please provide response here)
Responses were due by cob June 3.
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LINKS TO ALL CANDIDATE RESPONSES RECEIVED INCLUDED BELOW:
Candidates
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:
7th Congressional District
Andrea Bailey – D
info@andreabaileyforcongress.com
NO RESPONSE
Carl Bedell – D
bedellforcongress@gmail.com
NO RESPONSE
Margaret Franklin – D
info@margaretforvirginia.com
NO RESPONSE
Elizabeth Guzman – D
Info@guzmanforcongress.com
NO RESPONSE
Clifford Heinzer – D
info@heinzerforcongress.com
6/3/24 RESPONSE
Briana Sewell – D
info@brianaforcongress.com
NO RESPONSE
Eugene Vindman – D
info@vindmanforcongress.com
NO RESPONSE
Derrick Anderson – R
info@derrickanderson.com
NO RESPONSE
Cameron Hamilton – R
INFO@CAMERONHAMILTON.COM
NO RESPONSE
Maria Martin – R
vote@mmartin4virginia.com
NO RESPONSE
Jonathon Myers – R
Info@myersforvirginia.com
NO RESPONSE
John Prabhudoss – R
info@johnprabhudossforcongress.com
NO RESPONSE
Terris Todd – R
staff@terristodd4congress.com
5/31/24 RESPONSE
10th Congressional District
Jennifer Boysko – D
senatorboysko@senate.virginia.gov
6/4/24 RESPONSE
Marion Devoe – D
madevoe68@icloud.com
5/22/24 RESPONSE
Eileen Filler-Corn – D
Press@EileenForCongress.com
6/3/24 RESPONSE
Dan Helmer – D
jackson@danhelmer.com
5/31/24 RESPONSE
Krystle Kaul – D
info@krystleforcongress.com
6/3/24 RESPONSE
Mark Leighton – D
media@leightonforcongress.com
6/3/24 RESPONSE
Michelle Maldonado – D
info@MichelleforUSCongress.com
5/30/24 RESPONSE
Travis Nembhard – D
info@nembhardforvirginia.com
6/3/24 RESPONSE
Adrian Pokharel – D
info@adrianpokharel.com
NO RESPONSE
Atif Qarni – D
info@qarniforcongress.com
5/28/24 RESPONSE
David Reid – D
info@reidforvirginia.com
NO RESPONSE
Suhas Subramanyam – D
press@suhasforvirginia.com
6/3/24 RESPONSE
Manga Anantatmula – R
info@mangaforcongress.com
NO RESPONSE
Aliscia Andrews – R
press@andrewsva.com
NO RESPONSE
Mike Clancy – R
info@mikeclancyforcongress.com
6/3/24 RESPONSE
Alexander Isaac – R
campaign@alexisaacforcongress.com
NO RESPONSE
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SENATE:
Hung Cao – R
press@hungforva.com
6/3/24 – DECLINED TO PROVIDE RESPONSE
Jonathan Walker Emord – R
press@emordforva.com
NO RESPONSE
Eddie Garcia – R
info@eddiegarciava.com
6/3/24 RESPONSE
Scott Parkinson – R
info@scottparkinson.com
NO RESPONSE
Chuck Smith – R
chuck@ChuckSmithVA.com
6/3/24 RESPONSE
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Here is the message sent to all the candidates:
Dear Candidate,
The Coalition to Protect PWC, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization, was founded in 2014 in reaction to a proposed Dominion Energy 230kV transmission line, triggered by the power needs of one bulk customer, Amazon Web Services. The Coalition advocacy was successful in forcing a remand by the SCC Commissioners and ultimately brought Dominion Energy to the negotiating table for a settlement in 2018 to partially bury the data center’s transmission line to protect residences, historical and natural resources, and small businesses.
Dominion agrees to bury power lines in Prince William, ending legal standoff – The Washington Post
For the first time, because of the fallout of that contentious nearly five-year battle, the significant load demand of the data center industry was exposed, and the fact that ratepayers, not benefiting from the new transmission infrastructure, were also required to cover the cost of installing the transmission line to provide the power.
The Virginia State Corporate Commission legal staff said it best in the Haymarket Amazon Transmission line hearing when they noted the commission “…may wish to require [Amazon] the Customer to put some of its own skin into the game. Otherwise, the general public, already burdened by the environmental and aesthetic impacts of otherwise unneeded transmission projects, [are] also burdened with 100% of the otherwise unnecessary costs.”
It is impossible to live in Northern Virginia and not read about or watch on the news a story about data center proposals and their infrastructure, like new transmission lines, and wonder, “How will this impact me?”
The Coalition believes that citizens want to, and need to, understand from the candidates running for elected office in the Senate and in both the 7th and 10th Virginia Congressional districts what their positions are on these issues.
Please answer all the questions and return your response to the Coalition within 7 business days. All responses will be made available to the public.
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