After helping market the Fredericksburg area as a destination for huge data center investment, Spotsylvania County is considering whether to back a Virginia-wide pause on new projects as worries grow over power demand and electric bills, the Fredericksburg Free Press reported.
What's happening?
The Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors is evaluating a resolution from Battlefield District Supervisor Chris Yakabouski that would support state Sen. Glen Sturtevant's effort to temporarily stop new data center development across Virginia.
The county's position looks very different from where it stood on March 13, 2024.
At the time, former Gov. Glenn Youngkin visited Germanna Community College in Spotsylvania County for Amazon Web Services' announcement of a $35 billion data center investment in the Fredericksburg region.
By 2026, local leaders are signaling a more cautious stance, per the Fredericksburg Free Press.
Supervisors tightened the county's rules by requiring a Special Use Permit for every data center proposal and adding limits tied to noise and water use.
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Spotsylvania bars data centers from using potable water or drilling wells for cooling equipment, and it requires natural buffers to help lessen noise impacts.
Eight data centers have already been approved in the county.
That includes the Cosner Tech Campus, where one building has been completed, and another 11 applications that are still pending.
Why is this important?
While data center developers claim the facilities can generate tax revenue and create jobs, they also consume vast amounts of electricity and put added pressure on local infrastructure and natural resources.
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For Berkeley District Supervisor David Goosman, electricity is a central concern.
He told the Fredericksburg Free Press that local governments control land use decisions, but not how power demand is managed or distributed, which can still leave residents facing higher utility costs as demand rises.
Delegate Joshua Cole, a Democrat representing part of Spotsylvania County along with Fredericksburg and part of Stafford County, said he is "very much open to exploring a moratorium."
Cole said any purported economic benefits from data centers have to be balanced with making sure "our environment and our water is taken care of" and that companies "pay their fair share as a part of the grid."
If pressure on the grid keeps growing, households could face higher monthly energy bills, difficult infrastructure tradeoffs, and increasing conflict over what kinds of development communities are willing to accept.
What's being done?
Local and state officials are looking for a middle ground between economic development and stronger oversight.
Yakabouski's resolution wouldn't halt projects across Virginia, but it would add local political support to Sturtevant's push for state action.
Some lawmakers say a pause may be more appropriate at the county level than statewide.
Del. Nicole Cole, who represents parts of Spotsylvania and Caroline counties, told the Fredericksburg Free Press she would support a moratorium in Spotsylvania if county leaders have not clearly decided how many projects they want and for what purpose.
"What's the community case for what amount of data centers are needed? To generate what revenue, for what purposes?" Those are questions she said leaders ought to be asking.
Del. Phillip Scott, who represents parts of Spotsylvania and Orange counties, has taken a more cautious view of broader state action.
He said he would support whatever the board decides but told the Fredericksburg Free Press he generally opposes a "heavy-handed approach from the state."
Other delegates indicated locals were wary.
"They don't understand what's going on. They're nervous about what's going on," Cole remarked.
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