Virginia's position at the center of the data center boom is coming under fresh political pressure.
As News4 reported, lawmakers from both parties say the state should stop approving additional projects until officials better understand the strain that continued growth could place on electricity and water systems.
What's happening?
Support for a statewide pause has spread across party lines in Virginia, with legislators arguing that the state should measure the impact on local communities before permitting more data center expansion.
In comments reported by News4, Republican State Sen. Glen Sturtevant asked Gov. Abigail Spanberger to halt approvals for new data center projects immediately.
"The question is no longer simply how to regulate more data centers," he said, per News4. "It is whether Virginia can accommodate data center development at all."
Democratic Senate President Pro Tem Louise Lucas agreed and declared "a statewide moratorium is a serious proposal that deserves serious consideration."
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Separately, Republican state Sen. Richard Stuart and Democratic state Sen. Russet Perry urged Spanberger to call a special legislative session focused on groundwater, News4 noted.
Their request came after a Department of Environmental Quality report said the state's groundwater levels are under "serious and immediate strain," partly because data centers consume massive amounts of water.
Why does it matter?
Homes, schools, and businesses rely on stable electricity and dependable water, even as energy-intensive facilities continue to expand.
The concern intensified after a July incident in Ashburn that News4 said involved an outage on a high-voltage transmission line, followed by some data centers switching to backup power.
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The station reported that the shift reverberated across the grid from Chicago to Boston to Miami and led to flickering lights in millions of homes. Experts added that an event of that kind could trigger a blackout affecting the whole East Coast.
At the same time, critics argue that a blanket moratorium could slow investment, job creation, and the digital services many people use every day.
"Moratoriums on data centers send a signal that an area is closed for business, both for data centers and for other significant economic development projects," the Data Center Coalition said, per News4.
What's being done?
Lawmakers are seeking quick intervention from the state, either through an executive pause on new data center approvals or a special session dedicated to groundwater and power-grid concerns.
If Virginia does move ahead with a pause, it could create room for stronger rules governing where data centers can be built, how much water they can use, and whether power infrastructure is in place before construction begins.
To address concerns from workers, local governments, and businesses that benefit from data center investment, policymakers could also focus on more targeted solutions, such as requiring lower-water cooling systems, mandating grid-upgrade commitments, and prioritizing projects that can prove they will not worsen local shortages.
In Virginia, there is agreement across the aisle that the current situation is unsustainable.
"Senator Sturtevant is right that the status quo cannot continue," Lucas told News4.
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