A coalition of environmental groups and impacted community members gathered in Hanover County, near Richmond, Wednesday to ask Virginia’s Governor and elected officials to support a pause on new data centers.
“Better technology is there and Big Tech just doesn’t want to pay for it out of their gargantuan profits,” said Kathryn Hatam, a Botetourt County resident and member of the Southwest Virginia Data Center Transparency Alliance.
She drove three hours to speak at the Hanover Humane Society, with a nearly completed data center visible just over her shoulder, to ask Virginia’s government to pause data center permitting and interconnection until new regulations are in place.
“Virginians deserve better than the way we do data centers. They deserve better than backroom deals that lead to things like this," said the Sierra Club's Tim Cywinski. "They deserve better than nondisclosure agreements that hide basic information for the people who call this place home. And they deserve peace of mind that a neighbor isn’t making them sick or driving up their electric bills.”
Notably the coalition was grateful for steps taken by Governor Abigail Spanberger in recent months that she says will help wrangle some of the issues the group raised. But they also argue a pause is needed until those policies are up and running.
“Yes, there are some fixes where we match up, and I think we should absolutely work with the administration to get those fixes in place," said Julie Bolthouse is with the Piedmont Environmental Council. "But at the same time, if we’re going to address affordability, and really address energy, pollution and land impacts, we have to have a pause.”
Legislation requiring a pause has been submitted by Democrats and promised by Republicans for the 2027 legislative session, though Spanberger has said she’s not supportive of the idea.
In Hanover, I’m Brad Kutner
