Spanberger announces tightened data center restrictions, clean energy mandates in Virginia

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) on Friday announced a new proposal to tighten restrictions on data center developments in the Old Dominion.

The governor’s “ Data Center Accountability Framework ” outlines several objectives for the commonwealth’s approach to these projects, including cutting down on noise pollution and water use tied to these projects and promoting clean energy and boosting local jobs.

Spanberger signed an executive order establishing a “rapid-response” AI task force and directing the commonwealth’s chief energy officer to publish a toolkit to help local communities navigate proposed data center projects.

Additionally, Spanberger’s directive bans state agencies and employees from entering into nondisclosure agreements that keep any information about these planned developments secret.

The governor expressed her commitment to work with Virginia’s General Assembly to pass legislation aligned with the rest of the framework’s goals.

“The legislature has done so much to raise this issue in the last few months, and I look forward to working with them to codify parts of this plan into Virginia law,” Spanberger said in a Friday statement .

“At the end of the day, we all want the same thing: we want Virginia to be a national leader in data center accountability,” she continued.

The new Virginia framework follows recent pushes from other governors to place restrictions on data centers in their states.

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo (R) also signed an executive order Friday that seeks to stop data center costs from being passed on to local communities as he faces a tight reelection contest against state Attorney General Aaron Ford (D).

On Thursday, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) said he would “ absolutely sign ” a moratorium on new data center construction projects in his state. Deb Haaland, the Democratic candidate in New Mexico’s gubernatorial race, also supported a similar push this week.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), who is running for reelection, directed the state’s water development board this week to penalize new data centers that fail to meet water use requirements.

“Data centers must share the duty to protect Texas water,” he said in a statement announcing the directive.

Northern Virginia has seen a surge in new data center construction projects, with the region being dubbed “ Data Center Alley ” because of the sheer number of centers in the area.

Nicole Riley, the director of Virginia governmental affairs for the Data Center Coalition, a trade association representing industry members, expressed the group’s commitment to working with state lawmakers “to ensure workable, balanced policies” in a Friday statement following Spanberger’s announcement.

“If done right, there is a path for continued job creation, responsible investment, and clean energy deployment that protects ratepayers and delivers benefits for families and communities,” Riley said.

“However, significant and abrupt policy changes without meaningful stakeholder engagement could prove unworkable and jeopardize the real tangible benefits this industry can create,” the director continued. “We hope the implementation of this process will be based in fact and evidence, and account for the tens of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars of economic activity connected to digital infrastructure.”