Christopher Miller, president of the Piedmont Environmental Council, says Virginia is at a breaking point when it comes to data center growth.
On the Potomac Local News Podcast, Miller announced the launch of Virginians for a Smarter Digital Future, a new initiative aimed at bringing transparency and oversight to the state’s fast-moving data center industry. The campaign rests on four principles: transparency, state oversight, protection of families and businesses, and incentives for efficiency. “We call it a crisis by contract,” Miller said, pointing to local governments approving projects without fully considering power, water, or environmental impacts.
The concerns come as Prince William County faces fresh scrutiny over the controversial Digital Gateway project. Earlier this month, Circuit Court Judge Kimberly Irving sided with Oak Valley residents who challenged the rezoning, ruling the county failed to properly advertise its public hearings. The decision voided the approval of what would have been a 22-million-square-foot data center complex near Manassas, though an appeal is expected.
Miller noted that the Digital Gateway, if built, would require the energy equivalent of up to three nuclear power plants that do not exist. Across Virginia, more than 260 million square feet of data centers are either built, under construction, or proposed. “The whole mid-Atlantic grid is experiencing extreme pressure precisely because of data center load,” he said.
Founded in 1972, the Piedmont Environmental Council has helped protect more than 430,000 acres of land across the Virginia Piedmont and is now positioning itself at the forefront of data center reform. Through its new initiative, PEC is encouraging Virginians to weigh in with the State Corporation Commission, which is reviewing Dominion Energy’s proposal to set new rate classes for large users. Public comments are open until August 26, with a hearing scheduled for September 2 in Richmond.
Topics discussed in the interview included:
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The scale of proposed data centers in Virginia and their strain on the electric grid
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Why Northern Virginia became the epicenter of global data center growth
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The environmental and community impacts of 80–100 foot server farms near schools, homes, and historic sites
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Political influence from Dominion Energy and data center developers at both the state and local levels
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Why PEC believes data centers—not taxpayers—should bear the bulk of new infrastructure costs
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Ways the public can participate, including submitting comments to the State Corporation Commission before August 26
