FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 12, 2026
RICHMOND, Va. — The Sierra Club Virginia Chapter released its 2026 Virginia General Assembly Report today, highlighting progress on clean energy while finding that lawmakers did not act to sufficiently address the environmental and affordability consequences of Virginia’s data center development.
The 2026 session delivered significant victories for clean energy, including Virginia’s return to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, expanded solar energy and battery storage, new opportunities for shared and balcony solar, and statewide solar siting reforms.
But lawmakers failed to confront data centers, an industry that is driving enormous new electricity demand and raising concerns around utility costs, water use, air pollution and new energy infrastructure. While the General Assembly approved some transparency measures, several strong proposals aimed at protecting ratepayers, improving state oversight and reducing environmental impacts failed to pass.
“The General Assembly showed this year that they can deliver real progress on clean energy, and that deserves recognition,” said Connor Kish, Director of the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter. “But data center growth is putting new pressure on our electric system, our environment, and communities across the Commonwealth, and the policy response has not kept pace. Lawmakers need to bring the urgency they showed on clean energy to establishing real protections for people and the planet.”
The Sierra Club Virginia Chapter has called for a pause of new data center development until a framework of policy safeguards is put in place by the General Assembly, and we reiterate that call.
The report calls for stronger statewide oversight of data center development, greater public transparency, protections against shifting industry costs onto families and small businesses, and enforceable, robust environmental standards.
View the full legislative report here.
###
The Sierra Club Virginia Chapter is a non-profit, non-partisan advocacy organization working for a Virginia where communities—not polluters—shape policy and decision-making. We connect people with nature and advocate at every level of government to ensure that clean air, safe water, and healthy neighborhoods are not negotiable—they’re guaranteed. We're committed to meeting big challenges with bold solutions, and building a just, sustainable future together.