Virginia Grassroots Coalition - Climate

Data Centers | News From The States Rapidly expanding in an increasingly digital world and the rise of artificial intelligence, data centers are under intense scrutiny across the states. Companies tout economic development and job…

Interested in more coverage?

Visit our new "Data Centers" trend page for updates across the states.

www.newsfromthestates.com/rising-trend...

The Governor of Virginia just passed a Grid Utilization Bill on a consent agenda through both the House and Senate. Properly managed load growth can actually reduce electricity rates for everyone.

2026 is not about revolutionary tech.

It’s about industrializing what already works.

Lawmakers debate how to regulate data centers’ diesel backup generators • Virginia Mercury The use of data center's generators became a flashpoint in communities concerned about the health impacts of the emissions and fueled legislation.

A few bills are still working through the General Assembly to look at how to regulate diesel backup generators for data centers that are creating air quality concerns in northern Virginia. #valeg #vagov

virginiamercury.com/2026/02/17/l...

Michigan Tries a New Legal Tactic Against Big Oil, Alleging Antitrust Violations Aimed at Hobbling EVs and Renewable Energy - Inside Climate News The suit comes as the industry and its political allies escalate efforts to shut down liability laws and lawsuits. Republicans in Congress are currently crafting legislation to shield fossil fuel comp...

Michigan has joined nearly a dozen other states in suing #BigOil, but takes a different approach - accusing the companies of driving up energy costs by colluding to suppress competition from cleaner & cheaper alternatives

A deeper dive look at this new case

insideclimatenews.org/news/1502202...

Offshore wind showed up big during the East Coast’s brutal cold America’s two utility-scale offshore wind farms performed as well as gas power plants and better than coal in January — including during Winter Storm Fern.

South Fork Wind had a capacity factor of 52% last month - on par w/ NY state's most efficient gas plants

And Vineyard Wind had a 75% capacity factor during Winter Storm Fern

The data doesn't lie. #OffshoreWind works - especially during cold winter months

www.canarymedia.com/articles/off...

Republicans have been making huge, hopefully widely known, efforts to block renewable energy.

This story is about solar, particularly agrivoltaics. Not very many policies poll over 90% approval.

I would include agrivoltaics in my political campaign. It can tie into a lot of important issues.

Most of Virginia restricts solar farms. Lawmakers want to change that. As more counties effectively shut out utility-scale solar, the legislature is advancing a measure that would block blanket bans and establish siting…

Nearly two-thirds of Virginia counties have blocked utility-scale solar projects. New legislation could prevent those blanket bans.

"Do we just completely pull the plug on the next generation of athletes and say, 'actually it's a really hard sport, it costs a lot of money, and we haven't taken enough care of our planet for that sport to exist."

Big thanks to @scvanvalkenburg.bsky.social for championing SB 347. This bill means more good-quality solar, lower electricity bills, and less climate pollution.

Support solar siting reform for an affordable energy future: act.ccanactionfund.org/page/92578/p...

#cleanenergy #valeg #climateaction

WATCH: Trump, EPA's Zeldin announce end of scientific basis for U.S. action on climate change The Trump administration on Thursday revoked a scientific finding that long has been the central basis for U.S. action to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change, the most aggressiv...

Today, the Trump administration repealed the endangerment finding: the ruling that served as the basis for limits on tailpipe emissions and power plant rules. Without it, we’ll be less safe, less healthy and less able to fight climate change—all so the fossil fuel industry can make even more money.

Fired all your climate team @WaPo so - no problem here, people!

Virginia legislators cast a wide net on energy, hoping to land more capacity • Virginia Mercury Everybody seems to have ideas for how Virginia can generate more energy, use it better, or make the grid (and our utilities) operate more efficiently — and a remarkable number of these ideas are gaini...

Does it add up? asks Ivy Main, of energy legislation before General Assembly.

Big beautiful batteries - everywhere!

Related, our monopoly utility is claiming some unreasonable things about battery siting, as we're asking for expanded storage goals during this General Assembly. Because they love to insert artificial barriers where it suits.

Wow! 'It's a good bill' says Chair Lucas, and SB619 reports along party lines. No testimony due to length of docket. This one goes to the floor! Congratulations Sen. Srinivasan!

The Wild West of data center build-out in Virginia is working just great, according to industry lobbyists, union reps, and legislators from downstate. No state oversight needed! HB155 killed in subcommittee.
And they're about to do same to companion bill SB619, up in Senate F&A this morning.

Indiana lawmakers want to rein in electricity costs. Here's how they plan to do it Indiana lawmakers crafted a giant bill to address rising electricity rates across the state. Their plans are ambitious, but bipartisan support is pushing the bill through.

The Indiana House passed a performance-based ratemaking (PBR) bill that would tie regulated monopoly utility profits to the levels of reliability and affordability they provide to ratepayers. It would also ban utility shutoffs during heatwaves. Small steps, but moving in the right general direction.

Let's hope they see the many opportunities that support for agrivoltaics legislation will bring - especially to small farms!

"Nearly half the economic growth over the past year has come from the building of data centers. But that's a story about bricks, not about people."

Much of the world is breaking heat records this season. @weatherprof.bsky.social in Florida often shares a global perspective.

Thank you! And HB377, to stop developers from building leaky homes, deserved a vote! (Killed by voice vote in General Laws subcommitee)

💌 RSVP now to join @ltgovhashmi.bsky.social this Sunday, February 8th, from 3-4 PM, for a virtual public testimony workshop, where you’ll learn how to deliver effective public testimony on critical energy and good governance bills coming up for a vote soon. www.cleanvirginia.org/act/register...

Don't Texas Virginia.
Support reform and regulation of data centers in Virginia - the time is NOW to reach out to legislators - there are 3 lobbyists for every rep in Richmond, but you vote.
whosmy.virginiageneralassembly.gov

Noting it is in the curious category of 'by request'.

Should data centers pay up front or build their own power plants? Demand on the electricity grid that serves Pennsylvania and a dozen other states flirted with an all-time record last week as arctic cold blanketed most of the country and millions of heating systems ...

Should data centers pay up front or build their own power plants?

'consumers in the PJM states are suffering the effects of policies that could not protect them from a dramatic shift in the energy economy. '

Va. AG Jones joins lawsuit against EPA effort to roll back Clean Air Act • Virginia Mercury EPA lawsuit announcement marks second action Jones has taken on climate-related issues in recent days.

Attorney General Jay Jones has announced that Virginia will sue the EPA over its rollback of the Clean Air Act and last week he helped open the door for the state to rejoin the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, marking early actions on environmental issues. virginiamercury.com/2026/02/02/v...

Well researched and presented article 👏. Would like to boost a pair of returning bills. Since there is no appetite for a moratorium (HB1515 killed in H-Rules sub), let's tie those tax incentives to providing the clean energy industry can afford & our law requires: HB897 Sullivan and SB465 Deeds.

Next time someone asks you about energy and land use, maybe remind them that the ~35 million acres that currently grow corn for ethanol in the US could produce ~15 PWh per year of electricity from solar photovoltaics. That's ~3.5 times more than *total annual generation from all US power plants*.

Chart: In the EU, wind and solar surpass fossil fuels for first time The watershed moment comes as the region looks to prioritize clean, domestic energy sources over dirty coal or imported natural gas.

Renewables plus batteries are the future. Virginia General Assembly has good legislation in front of it to protect Virginians from fossil fuels - rejoining RGGI, expanding distributed generation and storage, stopping fuel costs being a pass-through for utilities to rate-payers, to name a few.

VA DEQ has approved almost 2,000 non-emergency diesel generators, about 20% of all approved generators statewide, to serve data centers.
Many are clustered near homes, schools, and neighborhoods.
They are polluting & need regulation to protect public health.

Support HB507 👇

How about this one? HB1299: use of 'shall' to mean mandatory in code. Might clear up a lot of misunderstandings by our utility, for example.