(The Center Square) — The use of a male pronoun interrupted the Virginia Senate’s proceedings on Monday.
The state’s first senator to openly identify as transgender, Sen. Danica Roem, D-Prince William, addressed Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears, who presides over the chamber, with some questions. Sears seemingly offhandedly referred to Roem as “sir” in her second response to the senator.
“My district is hurting. This issue has torn apart our community,” Thomas lamented before the committee’s vote.
Kathy Kulick of the HOA Roundtable highlighted the contentious nature of the issue and emphasized the potential conflict between economic interests and environmental concerns. Kulick pointed out the influence and intimidation of the data center industry on localities, highlighting the need for state-level legislation to guide land use change requests.
“Multiple Democrat-sponsored pieces of gun legislation aimed at strengthening firearm laws advanced in Virginia’s House of Delegates this week,” reports Morgan Sweeney at The Center Square. “A bill to watch this legislative session sponsored by Del. Dan Helmer, D-Fairfax, House bill 2 creates a class 1 misdemeanor for any person who imports, sells, manufactures, purchases, possesses, transports or transfers an assault firearm and prohibits anyone convicted of such violation from purchasing, possessing or transporting a firearm for three years from the date of conviction.”
In an effort to advocate for policies safeguarding national parks, clean water, and combating climate change, the Virginia Conservation Network, in collaboration with the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), is gearing up for the annual 2024 Conservation Lobby Day on Wednesday, January 31.
This significant event aims to unite environmental supporters from across the state, addressing the constant threats faced by Virginia’s national parks, particularly from the proliferation of data centers. The General Assembly is set to consider various bills in 2024 to tackle the impacts of data centers, including rising electricity costs and environmental pressures.
Delegate Ian Lovejoy (R-22, Bristow) updated his legislative priorities at the end of the first week of the 2024 Virginia General Assembly.
Lovejoy emphasized his focus on two key issues: limiting the siting of data centers near certain areas and addressing potential conflicts of interest among local elected officials involved in land use proceedings.
Roem has focused on legislation related to data centers, emphasizing the need for stringent approval processes. One of her proposed bills states that any local government land use application required for the siting of a data center must adhere to specific notice and noise abatement provisions. These provisions include notifying residents within a half-mile radius, scheduling and attending neighborhood meetings, and conducting sound studies to determine baseline and post-construction noise levels.
“I’m isolating at home in Manassas (albeit with my kitties, so not entirely alone). I plan to participate in committee and floor session remotely Monday,” Roem posted to X, formerly Twitter. “If I test negative Tuesday, I’ll mask up and return.”
“A Virginia Senate committee narrowly defeated legislation Wednesday that would expand the circumstances in which a drug dealer could be charged with felony homicide in connection with a user’s death,” reports WTOP-FM. “The bill, a priority of Gov. Glenn Youngkin and fellow Republicans, was pitched as a deterrent to criminals that would save lives amid the rising tide of overdoses deaths, particularly those attributable to fentanyl. But the Democrats on the committee who voted it down voiced skepticism that stiffer penalties, rather than an approach focused on substance abuse treatment, would effectively address the root causes of the issue.”
Delegate Candi Mundon King (D-Prince William, Stafford) introduced two bills in the General Assembly Session that deal with transportation.
The first would cap the total amount of tolls drivers pay on the E-ZPass Express Lanes in the state to $200 per month. The bill would also allow disabled military veterans to use the lanes at no charge.
“As data centers continue to proliferate across Virginia, the General Assembly this winter is poised to take up a host of bills intended to address their impacts, including increased electricity costs and environmental pressures,” reports Charlie Paullin at The Virginia Mercury. “Virginia is home to the greatest concentration of data centers in the world. While the centers can be found around the state, most are in Northern Virginia, which has more than 300. Eastern Loudoun County, where the facilities cover roughly 573 acres, is known as Data Center Alley, and Prince William is increasingly becoming a hot spot after local officials recently approved a campus of 27 centers that would sit on 270 acres.”
