Lynn Forkell Greene, a former Manassas City Council member and candidate in the November 2026 election, raised pointed concerns about data centers and infrastructure strain during public comment at the Manassas City Council meeting on June 22, directly linking the issues to recent power outages and broader regional pressures.
Greene told council members she is “not against data centers, but I am against the amount of data centers we have and passing those costs on to the residents.” She highlighted demands for water, electricity, and land, questioned the expiration of tax exemptions, and called for stronger collaboration between local officials and state legislators to develop a coordinated response. She urged a localized plan rather than simply asking residents to cut usage amid ongoing grid and substation frustrations.
City Manager Steve Burke provided context on recent outages. On June 11, a significant outage hit the Prince William Street substation. Power was rerouted successfully to other substations, and an investigation continues with no damage found to the transformer. Later that evening, a separate storm-related outage occurred when a tree limb fell onto a line, sparking a fire; service was quickly restored.
The June 22 update builds on a June 15 council briefing in which staff reported that the Prince William Street substation remains isolated and offline due to recurring issues. Crews are still working to identify the failure point.
Service to affected areas continues via backfeeding from other city substations. The problem traces back to at least a May 20 outage at the same site and another roughly two years earlier. A backup transformer purchased two years ago is available if needed, though officials hope to resolve the issue with existing equipment. Staff noted the fault originated at the substation level, not in overhead or underground lines.
Council and staff took notes on Greene’s comments and indicated they would follow up. The concerns echo wider resident frustration in Manassas and Prince William County over infrastructure capacity amid rapid growth and data center development.
Greene’s comments come as the Virginia General Assembly recently passed a two-year budget that preserves the long-standing sales tax exemption for data center equipment — originally projected to cost the state about $2 million annually when enacted in 2008 but now approaching $2 billion per year through 2035. Instead of fully repealing the breaks, lawmakers approved a new electricity-use tax on data centers, expected to generate up to $600 million annually, while exempting behind-the-meter power generation.
Governor Abigail Spanberger, Democrat, has not yet signed the budget.
State Sen. Louise Lucas, Democrat-Portsmouth, held a town hall near Manassas on June 15 and had pushed to eliminate the tax breaks, but the final compromise fell short.
The Piedmont Environmental Council sharply criticized the outcome in a June 23 statement, calling it irresponsible for failing to address cumulative impacts on communities, utilities, and ratepayers. PEC President Chris Miller noted that other states have pursued moratoriums or stronger reforms, and urged the State Corporation Commission to assign full infrastructure costs (including substations and transmission lines) to data centers rather than residents.
