Virginia is the data center capital of the world, and reckless buildout is accelerating. A 2008 tax break projected at $1.5 million now costs the Commonwealth over $1.6 billion. Skyrocketing electric bills due to the immense power usage is a consequence we all suffer. Hiding basic information about water consumption, power draw, air pollution, and even the identity of who is behind the data center is standard practice.
Virginia has had enough. Local resistance is the solution while we wait for statewide pause and common-sense policy framework.
Communities Are Winning
Here is what the industry does not want you to know: reckless data center projects get stopped by communities showing up and speaking out. It has happened in counties across Virginia where residents decided that a proposal was not a done deal just because a developer said so.
You do not need to be an expert. You do not need an outside organization's support. You just need information and a few people willing to start.
A Checklist for Local Resistance
Find out what the industry leaves out of its sales pitch: Developers bring polished presentations and job numbers. We will walk your neighbors through water use, energy costs, air quality, noise, and what the proposal actually means for your area.
- Review the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter's report on local impacts of data centers
- Read the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter's data center fact sheet
- Contact the Chapter to request more information or organize a community town hall (online or in-person) with one of our staff experts.
Start a local Facebook page: Facebook page or group is the fastest way to find the people already worried and give them somewhere to gather.
Make it visible: Yard signs and flyers turn private concern into public momentum that local decision-makers can't ignore.
Contact the decision makers directly: Call and email your planning commissioners and Board members.
Publicize the potential harms of data centers: A simple one-pager explaining how a specific proposal affects your community, water, bills, traffic, air, etc. creates a counter-balance to general industry talking-points.
Pack the room where decisions are made: Show up early and sign up to speak, and bring people even if they do not plan to talk to planning commission and Board of Supervisors or City Council meetings to demonstrate strong public opposition.
Demand transparency: Odds are your local government signed an NDA -- use the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to get real answers to basic questions about water consumption, air quality impacts, and environmental harms to overcome the result of backroom deals.
Further Action
Ask your state representatives to pause data center development in Virginia.
Take Action