Virginia Governor delays data center environmental transparency bill despite bipartisan support
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Glenn Youngskin, the Governor of Virginia, has forced through an amendment on a bipartisan bill that would require data center developers to disclose the environmental and noise impacts of their installations prior to receiving local approval.
The Republican Governor’s intervention means that the bill, HB1601, will not be enforced until 2026 at the earliest.
AccordingtoreportingfromInsideNova,themeasurehadpassedbothchambersoftheVirginiaGeneralAssemblywithwide-rangingsupport.
Thebillwouldhavelegislatedthatanyapprovalofanewhighenergyusefacility(HEUF)wouldrequireapplicantsto“performandsubmitasiteassessmenttoexaminethesoundprofileoftheHEUFonresidentialunitsandschoolslocatedwithin500feetoftheHEUFpropertyboundary.”
Inadditionthebillwouldhaverequired“asiteassessmentexaminetheeffectoftheproposedfacilityon(i)groundandsurfacewaterresources,(ii)agriculturalresources,(iii)parks,(iv)registeredhistoricsites,and(v)forestlandontheHEUFsiteorimmedia
