Virginia coalitions call for pause on new data centers

The coalition of Virginia environmental groups has announced the launch of its “Pause to Protect” policy platform, calling for a moratorium on new data center construction in Virginia until stronger environmental standards are in place.

• The platform calls for protections on clean energy, water use, and transparency, including limits on water for cooling, disclosure of water and energy use, and restrictions on polluting backup power and cost shifting to non-data center customers.
• The release says the effort follows Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s Data Center Accountability Framework and urges lawmakers to act in the 2027 General Assembly session; it cites Dominion Energy’s expectation that 51% of its electricity will be sold to data centers by 2035.