Virginia conservation groups launch “Pause to Protect” data center guardrail policy platform

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 11, 2026

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As Virginia legislators prepare for the upcoming 2027 legislative session, a coalition of environmental groups is calling for a moratorium on new data center construction in Virginia until data centers can meet specific environmental goals and standards on clean energy, water use and transparency.

The “Pause to Protect” policy platform the groups are launching today comes on the heels of Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s Data Center Accountability Framework, which calls for guardrails on data centers and more skin in the game from the massive energy and water consumers. 

Data centers are already affecting Virginians in many ways — driving up electricity bills, saddling communities with noise and harmful air pollution from diesel generators, and using significant quantities of public water resources. Without proper regulations, data centers pose significant risks to Virginia communities and the Commonwealth’s air and waterways. 

Virginia — predominantly Northern Virginia — is the data center capital of the world. This growth shows no signs of slowing down, with new data centers popping up all over the state. Dominion Energy, for example, expects that 51% of its electricity will be sold to data centers by 2035. In other words, most of the electricity from Virginia’s largest utility would not go to residential households, small businesses, churches or schools — it would go to a single energy-hungry industry. It is time for lawmakers to rein in the escalating energy use and water consumption of these data centers. 

Gov. Spanberger’s Framework established a roadmap for setting new regulations on the industry. Now, lawmakers and other decision-makers must go further and support legislation during the 2027 General Assembly session to pause new construction and protect our communities, wallets, air, water and land. 

Virginians do not want to see data centers built near where they live, and Virginia residents are increasingly demanding action to rein in the unchecked growth of the industry. 

The Pause to Protect Coalition calling for a moratorium includes Appalachian Voices, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Chesapeake Climate Action Network Action Fund, Clean Virginia, Friends of the Rappahannock, National Parks Conservation Association, Piedmont Environmental Council, Potomac Riverkeeper Network, Sierra Club Virginia Chapter, Solar United Neighbors of Virginia, the Southern Environmental Law Center, Virginia Conservation Network, Virginia Interfaith Power & Light and the Virginia League of Conservation Voters.

These groups are calling for a temporary halt to new data center construction in Virginia until strong protections are put in place to protect Virginia’s communities, wallets, air, water and land resources.

Data centers must: 

• Protect human and environmental health and fully disclose their water and energy use throughout the entire planning, design, construction and operational phases;
• Shield non-data center customers in Virginia from costs associated with data centers, including associated generation costs, fuel costs, transmission and pipeline infrastructure costs, and health and environmental costs;
• Power their operations using clean energy, have non-polluting backup power sources at the ready and prohibit “behind the meter” polluting power sources;
• Minimize disruptions to surrounding water supplies by limiting the use of water for cooling, particularly in water scarcity areas;
• Minimize disruptions to Virginia’s natural land resources by avoiding adverse impacts to sensitive sites like prime agricultural land, wetlands, forests, floodplains and high-value ecological habitats.

These are starting points; more information on the full Pause to Protect platform is available here. Decision-makers should implement additional policy changes to check the runaway data center train and limit the industry’s negative effects on Virginians’ quality of life.

Partner organizations issued the following statements: 

“Data centers already have an outsized impact on Virginians’ lives and well-being. With explosive industry growth expected to continue, the harmful effects will also explode unless our elected leaders enact strong protections. We have the policy and technology solutions to protect our air, land, water, communities and wallets. But until those protections are secured and common-sense guardrails are fully in place, we should not make matters worse by permitting any new data centers.” – Matt Allenbaugh, Appalachian Voices Virginia Campaign Coordinator 

“The wealthiest companies in human history think Virginians should shoulder higher energy bills, breathe dirtier air and accept new threats to the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers so these same companies can build data centers. Enough is enough. We need a pause to protect Virginians from further harm from these runaway AI factories.” – Jay Ford, Chesapeake Bay Foundation Virginia Policy Manager

“With Pause to Protect, we are asking lawmakers to put people over corporate profit. Virginians have been asked to sacrifice far too much to benefit Big Tech — our planet, our health, our wallets. We need to take a breath and use this pause to thoughtfully implement commonsense protections for communities and our environment before it is too late.” – Victoria Higgins, Chesapeake Climate Action Network Action Fund Virginia Director

“For far too long, Virginia’s energy policy has been driven not by the public interest, but by corporate profits. The unchecked expansion of data centers is a prime example of that injustice. Big Tech companies, monopoly utilities, and corporate polluters are reaping the rewards of this industry while Virginia families are paying the price through rising costs and escalating health and environmental impacts. Before Virginia commits to decades of data center development, we must hit pause and put meaningful, enforceable protections in place for the communities who bear the burden.” – Brennan Gilmore, Clean Virginia Executive Director

“The unrestricted growth of the data center industry is overwhelming our communities and natural resources. Due to a lack of a statewide framework, we must pause all new data center construction until proper protections are enacted.” – Brent Hunsinger, Friends of the Rappahannock Advocacy Director

“Data centers are one of the biggest threats facing Virginia national parks and public lands across the Mid-Atlantic region. Today, there are more data centers in our state than any other location on Earth and that should alarm every Virginian. The explosive, unchecked growth of data centers and the enormous physical footprint they require takes a considerable toll on our way-of-life here. This is not the future we want for our communities and our beloved national parks like Manassas and Shenandoah. Enough is enough. NPCA is calling for common sense reforms and supports a state-wide pause on any data center development until our elected officials make meaningful laws to address responsible growth, long-term planning and enforce transparent processes that include robust public engagement.” – Kyle Hart, National Parks Conservation Association Mid-Atlantic Senior Program Manager

“We need a moratorium to provide time to develop and implement regulations to protect the lives and livelihoods of all Virginians. Without a moratorium, the state will continue to allow unprecedented levels of fossil fuel use, construction of high-voltage transmission lines and pipelines far removed from data centers, increasing utility bills to pay for this generation and transmission, and installation of thousands of diesel generators and gas turbines on data center sites in neighborhoods to supplement power from the grid. Virginia communities are tired of having the largest data center market in the world but being told they can’t require more of the industry. It’s time to stop being the example of what not to do, get strong standards in place, and become sustainability leaders.” Chris Miller, The Piedmont Environmental Council President

“For more than 25 years, Potomac Riverkeeper Network has protected and defended the public’s right to clean water. The rapid proliferation of data centers, particularly in Northern Virginia, is increasing uncertainty and demand on our surface and groundwater resources. The Potomac River, the sole drinking water source for DC and Arlington, is already at risk for water shortages as persistent drought conditions have continued over the last two years. If we allow unchecked growth, we increase the uncertainty around our access to drinking water. We risk the streamflows required for recreating and protecting sensitive habitat. Transparency and regulation are vital to protect the millions of people that live and rely on the Potomac.” – Betsy Nicholas, Potomac Riverkeeper Network President

“The data center industry is polluting our air, depleting our water resources, driving up electricity bills and forcing Virginia communities to bear the costs of unchecked development. Enough is enough. Virginia must press pause on data center development and pass strong, enforceable protections to safeguard our health, our environment, our communities, and our wallets. Virginia faces a critical choice: continue giving multitrillion-dollar tech companies a free pass or put Virginia families first — there is no in-between. This upcoming session, we look forward to working with lawmakers to get the job done.” – Tim Cywinski, Sierra Club Virginia Chapter Communications Director

“Virginians struggle with skyrocketing electricity bills while data centers continue to get a sweet deal. Virginians are being asked to jeopardize their health because utilities plan to build harmful gas plants to power data centers. Virginians face increasing risk of drought while data centers reach deals for massive water withdrawals. Despite the glossy TV ads, Virginians know the truth: data centers aren’t paying their fair share and they aren’t good neighbors. ‘Pause to Protect’ gets us back on track. Virginia is going to define what it means to be a good neighbor and what it takes to do business here — not the industry that is actively harming Virginians.”  – Nate Benforado, Southern Environmental Law Center Senior Attorney

“The Pause to Protect policy platform will make meaningful progress to reduce and mitigate the growing impacts data center development is having on communities, our natural resources, and Virginia’s energy system. We look forward to working with the administration, General Assembly and our partners to pass all components of the Pause to Protect Platform, starting with a pause of data center development until regulations and standards are clearly in place and enforced to protect our communities, wallets, air, land, and water.” – Jessica Sims, Virginia Conservation Network Executive Director

“Data center growth has gone too long and too far without guardrails to protect Virginia families’ pocketbooks, health outcomes and overall quality of life. A pause will give legislators and decision-makers time to incorporate the concerns the vast majority of Virginians share about data center encroachment in their neighborhoods and wallets. The goal is to ensure justice and benefits for communities across Virginia.” – Faith Harris, Virginia Interfaith Power & Light Executive Director

“After years of unchecked development, data centers are impacting every corner of the Commonwealth — driving up our energy bills, polluting communities, and impacting quality of life. Enough is enough — we need to pause data center approvals now, until we have the protections in place that hold Big Tech accountable and put Virginians first.” – Blair St. Ledger-Olson, Virginia League of Conservation Voters Director of Advocacy & Campaigns

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For information contact:

Appalachian Voices
Dan Radmacher
(276) 289-1018
[email protected]

Chesapeake Bay Foundation
David Sherfinski
(202) 603-2932
[email protected] 

Chesapeake Climate Action Network Action Fund
Kidest Gebre
(804) 401-9954
[email protected]

Clean Virginia
Amy Bacigalupo
(804) 356-6030
[email protected]

Friends of the Rappahannock
Carleigh Starkston
(540) 373-3448
[email protected] 

National Parks Conservation Association
Kyle Hart
(202) 400-1193
[email protected] 

Piedmont Environmental Council
Mike Doble
(703) 579-7963
[email protected]

Potomac Riverkeeper Network
Fritz Schneider
(301) 728 – 4811
[email protected] 

Sierra Club Virginia Chapter
Tim Cywinski
(540) 272-5358
[email protected] 

Southern Environmental Law Center
Tasha Durrett
(571) 405-1101
[email protected]

Virginia Conservation Network
Nicole Vaughan
(804) 767-0572
[email protected]

Virginia League of Conservation Voters
Lee Francis
(434) 989-3197
[email protected]