Abigail Spanberger Urges Congress to Police Artificial Intelligence Risks to Privacy, Jobs, and Resources

Sep 28, 2026, 9:00 AM ET

RICHMOND — Governor Abigail Spanberger pressed congressional leaders this week to write national rules for artificial intelligence, arguing that Virginia cannot police the technology’s risks to privacy, jobs, and natural resources alone.

In a letter dated September 22, 2026, Spanberger wrote House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. She warned that leaving oversight “solely in the hands of private entities” would leave families exposed even as technology executives themselves call for clearer guardrails.

The appeal lands days after Spanberger unveiled what her office called the country’s most aggressive data-center accountability framework and created a rapid-response Artificial Intelligence Task Force under Executive Order 22. That order directs state agencies to examine workforce displacement, data privacy, cybersecurity, and the water and power demands that feed Northern Virginia’s server farms.

Spanberger framed the choice facing Washington as a false dichotomy. “The notion that the United States must choose between AI safety and AI leadership is a false dichotomy,” she wrote. “America can do both, but we need federal-state collaboration to advance thoughtful AI regulations that safeguard the public while supporting technological progress.”

Virginia’s stake is concrete. Loudoun County alone hosts one of the world’s densest clusters of data centers that train and serve large language models. Dominion Energy filings show large-load interconnection requests measured in tens of gigawatts, and local supervisors have spent 2024–2026 debating by-right zoning, setbacks from homes, diesel backup generators, and underground transmission alternatives. Spanberger’s framework asks agencies to limit by-right approvals for the largest projects, disclose nondisclosure agreements that hide negotiations from the public, and tighten environmental review of cooling and backup power.

The governor’s letter argues those state tools are necessary but insufficient. Artificial intelligence systems trained in Virginia can be deployed nationwide within hours. Privacy harms, deepfake fraud, and automated hiring tools do not stop at the Potomac. Without a federal baseline, she said, companies will face a patchwork of state rules while households absorb rising electric bills and communities fight over land and water.

Spanberger tied the congressional ask to Executive Order 22’s Artificial Intelligence Task Force, which her administration says will steer new tools “to work in service of Virginians: our workforce, our children, our families, and our communities.” Cabinet energy officials have already intervened in State Corporation Commission cases involving Dominion’s integrated resource plan and the proposed Dominion–NextEra merger, citing bill pressure from unconstrained large loads.

Lawmakers in both chambers have spent the current special session and the run-up to the 2027 General Assembly session trading proposals on disclosure, local veto authority, and tax treatment of data-center equipment. House and Senate committee calendars for the coming months are expected to include companion bills that would encode parts of the governor’s framework into statute. Spanberger’s letter effectively asks Congress to match that pace rather than wait for another election cycle.

Privacy advocates in Richmond and Northern Virginia have pressed for limits on how state agencies and contractors use facial recognition and generative tools on constituent data. Business groups counter that heavy-handed rules could push cloud investment to other states. Spanberger’s letter tries to thread that needle by insisting federal action can protect people without freezing innovation, pointing to industry CEOs who have publicly urged coordinated regulation.

Resource use remains the flashpoint for locality leaders. County reports have tallied billions of gallons of water for cooling and thousands of diesel generators permitted for backup power. Residents along proposed high-voltage corridors in Loudoun, Prince William, and farther south along the Interstate 95 corridor have packed hearing rooms arguing that ratepayers should not underwrite speculative load. Spanberger’s Artificial Intelligence Task Force is charged with weighing those local costs alongside cyber and labor questions.

Congressional offices have not yet announced a coordinated response to the September 22 letter. House and Senate committees with jurisdiction over technology, energy, and commerce already hold competing draft bills on model transparency, export controls, and chip supply chains. Spanberger’s message is that those vehicles should also address state-level grid stress and consumer privacy before another wave of hyperscale campuses locks in long-term power contracts.

For now, Virginia will keep moving on its own clock. Agencies are drafting guidance under Executive Order 22, the Artificial Intelligence Task Force is standing up working groups, and the State Corporation Commission continues hearings that will shape whether Dominion’s load forecasts become ratepayer reality. Spanberger’s closing line to congressional leaders left little room for delay: “The time for action — both for Virginians and Americans as a whole — is now.”

All Virginia News will continue tracking how House and Senate sponsors translate the governor’s framework into bills for the 2027 session, and whether federal committees schedule hearings that answer Spanberger’s call for national Artificial Intelligence accountability standards.

Email the Board of Supervisors at:
Phyllis J. Randall (Chair, At-Large) – Phyllis.Randall@loudoun.gov,
Michael R. Turner (Vice Chair, Ashburn District) – Mike.Turner@loudoun.gov,
Juli E. Briskman (Algonkian District) – Juli.Briskman@loudoun.gov,
Sylvia R. Glass (Broad Run District) – Sylvia.Glass@loudoun.gov,
Caleb Kershner (Catoctin District) – caleb.kershner@loudoun.gov,
Matthew F. Letourneau (Dulles District) – Matt.Letourneau@loudoun.gov,
Kristen C. Umstattd (Leesburg District) – Kristen.Umstattd@loudoun.gov,
Laura A. TeKrony (Little River District) – Laura.TeKrony@loudoun.gov,
Koran Saines (Sterling District) – Koran.Saines@loudoun.gov

Email the Loudoun County School Board:
April Chandler, april.chandler@lcps.org,
Anne Donohue, anne.donohue@lcps.org,
Deana Griffiths, deana.griffiths@lcps.org,
Ross Svenson, ross.stevenson@lcps.org,
Kari LaBell, kari.labell@lcps.org,
Jon Pepper, jonathon.pepper@lcps.org,
Lauren Shernoff, lauren.shernoff@lcps.org,
Sumera Rashid, sumera.rashid@lcps.org,
Amy Riccardi, amy.riccardi@lcps.org,

Loudoun County State Corporation Commission Virginia Virginia House of Delegates Virginia Senate Aaron Rouse Abigail Spanberger Adam Ebbin Adele McClure Alex Askew Alfonso Lopez Ali Faruk Amy Laufer Amy Riccardi Andrew Breton Angelia Williams Graves Anne Donohue Anne Holton Anne Tata April Chandler Artificial Intelligence Atoosa Reaser Barbara Favola Barry Knight Betsy Carr Bill DeSteph Bill Wiley Bills Bonita Anthony Briana Sewell Bryce Reeves Buddy Fowler Caleb Kershner Charlie Schmidt Charniele Herring Cheryl Burke Children Chris Runion Christie Craig Christopher Head Cia Price Cliff Hayes Congress Creigh Deeds Cynthia Newbille Dan Helmer Danica Roem Danny Diggs Data Data Centers David Marsden David Reid David Suetterlein Deana Griffiths Debra Gardner Delores McQuinn Delores Oates Destiny LeVere Bolling Dominion Don Scott Electric Elizabeth Bennett-Parker Elizabeth Guzmán Ellen McLaughlin Ellen Robertson Emily Jordan Emmett Jafari Energy Eric Phillips Eric Zehr Executive Order Families Farms Fraud Garrett McGuire Glen Sturtevant Governor Gretchen Bulova Grid Hillary Kent Holly Seibold Irene Shin Israel O'Quinn Jackie Glass Jas Jeet Singh Jason Ballard Jay Leftwich Jeion Ward Jennifer Boysko Jennifer Carroll Foy Jeremy McPike Jessica Anderson Jobs John McAuliff Jon Pepper Joseph McNamara Josh Thomas Joshua Cole Juli Briskman Justin Pence Kacey Carnegie Kannan Srinivasan Karen Hamilton Karen Keys-Gamarra Kari LaBell Karrie Delaney Katherine Jordan Kathryn Ricard Kathy Tran Katrina Callsen Keith Hodges Kelly Convirs-Fowler Kenya Gibson Kimberly Pope Adams Koran Saines Kristen Umstattd Labor Lamont Bagby Land Lashrecse Aird Laura Cohen Laura TeKrony Lauren Shernoff Lawmakers Lee Ware Leslie Mehta Lily Franklin Lindsey Dougherty Loudoun County Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Loudoun County School Board Louise Lucas Luke Torian Luther Cifers Madison Whittle Mamie Locke Marcus Simon Margaret Franklin Mark Downey Mark Obenshain Mark Peake Marty Martinez Matt Letourneau Matthew Percival May Nivar Michael Feggans Michael Jones Michael Webert Michelle Maldonado Mike Cherry Mike Johnson Mike Turner Mitchell Cornett Nadarius Clark NextEra Nicole Cole Nicole Jones Northern Virginia Otto Wachsmann Patrick Hope Paul Krizek Phil Hernandez Phillip Scott Phyllis Randall Police Power Prince William Rae Cousins Reva Trammell Richard Stuart Richmond Richmond City Council Richmond School Board Rip Sullivan Robert Bloxom Rodney Willett Ross Svenson Rozia Henson Russet Perry Ryan McDougle Saddam Salim Sam Rasoul Sarah Abubaker Schuyler VanValkenburg Scott Surovell Scott Wyatt Senate Shavonda Fernandez Shelly Simonds Stacey Carroll Stella Pekarsky Stephanie Lynch Stephanie Rizzi Sumera Rashid Sylvia Glass Tammy Mulchi Tara Durant Technology Terry Austin Terry Kilgore Tim Griffin Timmy French Todd Pillion Tom Garrett Tommy Wright Tony Wilt Travis Hackworth Virgil Thornton Virginia Virginia House of Delegates Virginia Senate Vivian Watts Water Wendell Walker Wesley Hedgepeth Will Davis Will Morefield William Stanley Wren Williams