Lawmakers came into Virginia’s General Assembly session with bipartisan promises of finally tackling the issue of data centers, those huge internet support facilities sprawling across the state’s landscape that bring big tax revenue but also heavy demand for power and water.
Now … well, maybe next year.
Out of several dozen bills introduced on the subject, including a slate that had support from Republicans and Democrats in both the Senate and the House of Delegates, only a few remain alive — and industry critics say those have been watered down.
“This was [supposed to be] the year where people could no longer kick the can down the road. … This was the year where the convenient excuse of ‘we’re not dealing with this’ ended,” said Sen. Danica Roem (D-Prince William), one of the lawmakers pushing hardest to act. “But it takes time. It just takes time.”
The clock is ticking. Virginia is the data center capital of the United States, and possibly the world. Most of the facilities are in Northern Virginia, but they’re spreading to every corner of the state. They provide the infrastructure that keeps the world’s online traffic flowing, along with jobs and revenue that makes municipal officials swoon. But their requirements for electricity and water are placing an enormous burden on those resources.
Click here to read the rest of the story written by Gregory S. Schneider over at The Washington Post
