Virginia group urges data center moratorium rallies

The Piedmont Environmental Council has announced a call for a statewide moratorium on new data center approvals and related infrastructure in Virginia, alongside rallies in Leesburg and Culpeper this weekend.

• PEC says Sen. Russet Perry has introduced SB 843, which would impose a moratorium on data center siting approvals by localities and on development-related approvals by agencies until July 1, 2030.
• The email, sent on October 15, 2026, criticizes the newly released Virginia Energy Plan and cites projected costs of $385-422 billion for the moderate scenario, plus proposed buildout of 277,000 acres of utility-scale solar and more transmission, substations, batteries, and generation.
• The message also points to related Virginia energy and data center infrastructure, including Dominion Energy, NextEra, Tenaska, Cumberland, Chesterfield, Valley Link, Valley North, and a Vantage data center in Sterling using onsite gas turbines.