Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger has directed state agencies to implement measures that give local communities greater influence over data center construction, a move that could slow approvals in a state already known as the global hub for these facilities.
Executive Order 22 prohibits executive branch officials from signing non-disclosure agreements related to data center projects. The order also mandates expedited noise regulations and requires a review of backup-generation operations utilized by data centers, among other stipulations.
Additionally, the directive establishes an artificial intelligence task force charged with assessing how the state government can mitigate risks to residents.
Hope the AI task force actually does something useful and isn’t just another bureaucratic delay tactic for industry.
Finally, some local voice in this. Data centers are taking over neighborhoods without asking anyone.