Republicans Lead Charge Against Data Centers in Virginia

More Virginians are fed up with data centers. These massive server farms — hundreds of feet tall, covering multiple football fields — are consuming power, water, and land across the commonwealth. Virginia now hosts more data centers than any other place on Earth, and residents are saying the world’s richest corporations should stop receiving nearly $2 billion in tax breaks while everyday energy costs climb.

In this Virginia Insider breakdown, Uriah Kiser examines the growing revolt. In Loudoun County, neighbors fought Dominion Energy’s proposed Golden to Mars transmission line — 180-foot towers running near homes and school property. The State Corporation Commission sided with the utility. The legal battle is now headed toward the Virginia Supreme Court. Similar concerns stretch along the Valley Link corridor from Campbell County to Culpeper, all to feed Northern Virginia’s data center demand.

A political earthquake is underway. Republicans, long considered pro-business, are increasingly leading the opposition and finding common ground with Democrats who once supported the industry. Governor Abigail Spanberger has consistently backed keeping the tax incentives in place. Polling shows a dramatic shift: a 2023 Washington Post-Schar School survey found 61% support for data center tax breaks that create at least 1,000 jobs. By 2026 that support had collapsed to 37%, with opposition rising to 56%. A more recent Commonwealth Poll found support for the tax breaks at just 25% and opposition near 70%. Every region of Virginia now leans against new facilities in local communities.

Data centers generate significant local tax revenue during construction, but permanent jobs are few. Many projects sit in a power queue that could stretch into the 2030s. Conservatives and a growing number of Democrats argue Virginia can support technological growth without forcing ratepayers to subsidize the infrastructure or placing high-voltage lines next to neighborhoods and schools.

Watch the full analysis for the latest on the SCC decisions, the polling collapse, and what it means for energy costs and land use across the commonwealth.

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