The number of rewrites and tweaks of bills Gov. Abigail Spanberger filed Monday evening outstrips the totals from the last time Democrats held the governor’s mansion and General Assembly, and it’s rubbed some Democrats the wrong way.
Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s unprecedented rewrites of 180-plus bills have triggered some Democratic backlash, with several legislators warning she is centralizing power and remaking major policy in the veto session.
Sen. Ryan McDougle, R-Hanover, speaks to Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, and Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Charlottesville, in the Senate Finance and Appropriations Room of the General Assembly Building on Tuesday.
Proponents say data centers bring localities enormous revenues and opportunities. Opponents raise concerns about their big demands for power and compatibility with neighborhoods.
Data center developers are now eyeing the Richmond area. While counties welcome the sites' tax revenues, residents' concerns have prompted developers to withdraw some proposals and Henrico imposed further oversight.
The state's telecommunications infrastructure, tax breaks, workforce and officials' welcoming attitude have helped make Virginia the world's data center capital.
The 451 now running in Virginia, home to the largest concentration of data centers in the world, currently use 3,583 megawatts, or enough electricity to power nearly 896,000 homes.
The state's data center boom is the subtext to increasingly intense politicking over longtime Virginia issues — climate change, electricity rates and the powers of local governments.
President Donald Trump has issued a series of executive orders removing barriers to expanding the electric grid's ability to serve data centers necessary to advance artificial intelligence and other power-hungry technologies.
Sen. Ryan McDougle, R-Hanover, speaks to Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, and Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Charlottesville, in the Senate Finance and Appropriations Room of the General Assembly Building on Tuesday.
Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s unprecedented rewrites of 180-plus bills have triggered some Democratic backlash, with several legislators warning she is centralizing power and remaking major policy in the veto session.