PEC backs Virginia data center moratorium bill

The Piedmont Environmental Council has announced its support for Sen. Russet Perry’s data center moratorium bill (SB843) and criticized Virginia’s recently released data center framework and Energy Plan as insufficient. - The statement says the proposed three-year moratorium would give Virginia time to develop robust regulatory standards and outlines policy areas including grid reliability, air quality, potable water, and community protections.

• It cites current and planned infrastructure impacts, including an estimated $500 billion energy-system expansion, up to 277,000 acres of solar, three new gas plants in Chesterfield, Fluvanna, and Cumberland counties, and “thousands of miles of high voltage transmission” plus “thousands of diesel generators and onsite natural gas turbines.”