Photo by Hugh Kenny/Piedmont Environmental Council
On Feb. 12. 2025, the Southern Virginia Land Conservancy approved a resolution regarding data centers. Read the full text of the resolution here.
Data centers present tremendous challenges to our Virginia localities, in part due to their intensive water needs, their impact on agriculture and forestry and the industries that support them, and their potential for harming the rural character of our communities.
The resolution outlines these concerns, and offers guidance for our localities as well as our members of the General Assembly. While the preponderance of data centers in the Commonwealth are in Northern Virginia and the northern Piedmont, applications for data center development are increasing in rural areas of southern and western Virginia.
The Piedmont Environmental Council has compiled an excellent collection of resources regarding data centers, including the video below.
Data centers present tremendous challenges to our Virginia localities, in part due to their intensive water needs, their impact on agriculture and forestry and the industries that support them, and their potential for harming the rural character of our communities.
The resolution outlines these concerns, and offers guidance for our localities as well as our members of the General Assembly. While the preponderance of data centers in the Commonwealth are in Northern Virginia and the northern Piedmont, applications for data center development are increasing in rural areas of southern and western Virginia.
The Piedmont Environmental Council has compiled an excellent collection of resources regarding data centers, including the video below.