Rally in Richmond to stop Virginia data centers

RICHMOND, Va. — Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Richmond Saturday morning at the Bell Tower in Capitol Square, letting their voices ring out over an issue that affects millions across Virginia.

The commonwealth has become a beacon for data center development for several years — a trend that has galvanized people from all demographics and across the political spectrum who have serious concerns over increasing energy costs and the environmental impact of these structures.

The march downtown drew demonstrators from multiple Virginia communities.

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"Petersburg which is a community of less than 40,000 people, we have four data center proposed," Pamela Bingham said. "People don't want this next to their neighborhoods. We all want progress. We're all supportive of growth and technology, but not all money is good money."

For one demonstrator who drove from Chesapeake, the message was simple.

"We the people are here and we the people do not want data centers in our backyards," they said.

Jennifer Corpus with Stop Hanover Data Centers helped lead the charge, calling for the Virginia General Assembly to take action on an indefinite pause for new tech centers.

"There are so many already in the pipeline that we are contractually obligated to let them build so there's going to be over 1000 by the time those are built so at this point we need to just moratorium for now to pause, and long-term we don't need anymore," Corpus said.

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Months of pushback caught the attention of Gov. Abigail Spanberger, who signed an executive order in September that would ban state agencies from entering into non-disclosure agreements for data center projects, implement noise regulations for development and give localities more tools to negotiate better deals for proposed projects.

However, the order falls short of a total pause on data center construction.

"I hear your concerns I understand them and frankly, I share them," Spanberger said.

Some lawmakers want to go further.

State Sen. Russet Perry is calling for a three-year ban, a potential solution in a bill filed earlier this month that also has bipartisan support.

"Certainly the state can say we are taking a pause until we can get our hands wrapped around this, and that's really what we are looking at," Perry said.

State Sen. Glen Sturtevant echoed the urgency.

"We don't need to wait, we can't wait. Electric bills are too high to continue kicking this can down the road and pushing this off," Sturtevant said.

Corpus believes the legislation is necessary to stop new centers from being built, but adds that state leaders and their constituents have a responsibility to monitor the centers going down the pipeline.

A spokesperson from the data center coalition argues that Virginia lawmakers must carefully consider how it addresses limits to data center development to avoid sending the message that it's closed for business.

"It's not inevitable people are standing up all over Virginia. People on both sides of the aisle are calling for a moratorium, we have lawmakers who are pushing for one, but they need the people power to make it happen and that's why we are here," Corpus said.

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