Northern Virginia has had enough with data centers

Thu Jun 22 20:02:20 UTC 2023

Backlash to data centers prompts political upset in northern Virginia
By MATTHEW BARAKAT
https://apnews.com/article/virginia-election-data-centers-prince-william-229cb44d34ccf4bd1cc4e9f0d0131649

FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) — The tech industry’s drive to dot the Virginia 
landscape with data centers may have hit a glitch this week in Prince 
William County.

[...]
The plan, called the Prince William Digital Gateway, prompted one of the 
region’s biggest land-use disputes in decades. It was approved despite 
vocal opposition from residents concerned that the data centers are noisy, 
ugly, and consume massive amounts of electricity that require the addition 
of high-voltage transmission lines.

[...]
Josh Levi, president of the Data Center Coalition, an industry trade 
group, said that data centers can make a compelling argument to local 
officials about the tax benefits that accrue from hosting data centers.

“The industry prioritizes maintaining an open, active, and collaborative 
dialogue with elected officials and candidates for office, their 
constituents, and other community stakeholders,” he said in a statement.

[...]