economy
- House and Senate Budget Proposals Differ by Over $1 Billion on Fairfax County Allocations for 2026-2028 Biennium
Fairfax County, Virginia’s most populous locality with more than 1.1 million residents, faces significant budgetary implications from these discrepancies. The House proposal, which has been formally adopted, incorporates funding for K-12 education among its provisions. In contrast, the Senate version introduces notable changes to education allocations, alongside differences in human services and t
- Loudoun County Farmer Highlights Concerns on Agrotourism’s Impact on Rural Preservation
Rockland Farm’s history traces back over 200 years within the Rust and Brown-Devlin family lineage, including figures like Elizabeth Devlin. The site has weathered regional changes, such as legal issues surrounding White’s Ferry operations that halted service in 2020. Since launching his farm in 2020, Devlin has engaged with networks of seasoned Loudoun farmers committed […]
- Loudoun County Approves Zoning Amendments to Facilitate Reconstruction of Agricultural Buildings
Rural zoning in Loudoun County is designed to promote and protect agricultural land use. Essential structures like barns support daily farm activities, including crop storage and animal care. Under the former rules, however, farmers encountered barriers if prior activities on the property conflicted with zoning classifications, preventing rebuilds despite clear natural disaster origins. Board disc
- Loudoun Supervisor Koran Saines Denies Data Center Financial Ties During April 7 Board Meeting, But VPAP Records Show $15,000 in Donations from Construction Firms Tied to Data Center Projects
LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. — In a pointed defense of his integrity amid ongoing public scrutiny of data center development in Loudoun County, Sterling District Supervisor Koran T. Saines (D) told fellow Board of Supervisors members and residents on April 7, 2026, that he has not accepted any campaign contributions from data center companies. Yet Virginia […]
- Virginia set to rejoin RGGI as utilities prepare to pass the cost back to ratepayers
A natural gas-fired power plant. (Photo by Getty Images) Virginia is poised to reenter the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative this summer, a move that could again add a monthly charge to electricity customers’ bills as utilities resume buying carbon credits. State officials expect the commonwealth to participate in the program’s September auction once regulations to […]
- Abigail Spanberger signs first wave of bills targeting health care, housing and energy cost
Gov. Abigail Spanberger signing bills. (Photo by Charlotte Rene Woods/Virginia Mercury) Gov. Abigail Spanberger has signed the first first batch of bills passed by state lawmakers before they adjourned in mid-March, advancing measures on health care, housing and energy affordability. With hundreds of bills cleared by the legislature, she has until April 13 to sign, […]
- Mark Warner files for reelection, launching bid for fourth U.S. Senate term caught lying 29 years ago
Virginia Sen. Mark Warner speaks with reporters in the U.S. Capitol building in October. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom) U.S. Sen. Mark Warner formally launched his campaign for a fourth term this week, filing the paperwork and voter petitions required to appear on Virginia’s 2026 U.S. Senate ballot after a five-day swing across the state […]
- Minimum Wage to $15 by 2028 Amid Close Vote
RICHMOND, Va. – The Virginia Senate gave final legislative approval to House Bill 1 on March 4, 2026, passing the measure by a narrow 21-19 vote and sending it to Governor Glenn Youngkin for consideration. The bill, which incrementally raises the state’s minimum wage to $15 per hour by January 1, 2028, codifies the current […]
- Virginia House Passes HB52 Unanimously to Boost Beneficial Use of Dredged Material for Coastal Protection
RICHMOND, Va. – The Virginia House of Delegates delivered overwhelming support for House Bill 52, passing the measure on a unanimous block vote of 98-0 on February 3, 2026. Sponsored by Delegate Robert Bloxom Jr. of the 100th District on the Eastern Shore, the legislation establishes a statewide policy to promote the beneficial reuse of […]
- Before You Vote in November, Look at What Happened in Richmond
This November, Virginians will choose who represents them in the U.S. House. As always, the economy will be the decisive issue, and midterms traditionally punish the party in power. What voters should not forget is what just happened in Richmond. Led by Abigail Spanberger, Democrats ran on “affordability.” After winning control of state government, they […]
- Virginia’s Energy Gamble: Higher Risk, Higher Costs, Less Reliability
Snowstorms and the Anxiety They Bring Snowstorms in Virginia are always a source of anxiety. When will roads get cleared so we can get back to work? What do we do with the kids until they go back to school when we still have to go to work? How do we feed and maintain the livestock? This […]
- Loudoun County Debates Allocation of $194 Million Surplus from Data Center Revenues
Loudoun County, Virginia, known for its concentration of data centers, is currently addressing how to manage a $194 million budget surplus generated in fiscal year 2025.
- Powerless by Design: How the Virginia Clean Economy Act Sacrifices Affordability for Ideology
The VCEA: A Partisan Law with Sweeping Energy Mandates In 2020, the Virginia Legislature passed the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA) in a vote largely along party lines. Democrats voted for the measure, and Republicans voted against it. The legislation was signed into law by Democratic Governor Ralph Northam. Do Virginians know what this law […]
- Va. considers nearly $700 million rail and trail plan in Shenandoah Valley
The Virginia Department of Transportation stunned Virginia’s transportation community by proposing a plan last Tuesday to potentially develop a multi-use trail and restore a deteriorated rail corridor in the Shenandoah Valley, with a possible price tag of nearly $700 million.
- Virginia’s future higher education chapter should be collaborative and not competitive, says a university official
Virginia will face a workforce shortage in 2026 that cannot be resolved by doing business as usual. The region’s hospitals are facing some of the most high nursing vacancy rates. teacher shortages continue to strain classrooms, accelerating burnout and affecting school divisions from Hampton Roads to Southwest Virginia.
- Governor Glenn Youngkin Announces AstraZeneca Selects Albemarle County for $4.5 Billion Investment
International pharmaceutical leader will make its largest single investment in a facility to date, creating 600 direct jobs RICHMOND, VA — Governor Glenn Youngkin announced today that AstraZeneca will invest $4.5 billion to establish two new manufacturing facilities in Albemarle County.
- Can farmland thrive with solar? This Virginia nonprofit is finding out.
More than a decade ago, residents of Loudoun County, Virginia, banded together to buy up treasured open space before it became a strip mall and housing development, donating the land to the Piedmont Environmental Council instead. The nonprofit has maintained it as a unique blend of cattle pasture, a nature preserve, and a community farm that donates its yield to a local food pantry.
- House District 97, anchored in Virginia Beach, could determine party majority in House of Delegates
Just two years after House District 97 flipped from Republican to Democrat, the Virginia Beach district is being closely watched as a key race that could determine if Democrats will maintain their majority in the House, a hold they gained in 2023.
- Watershed mapping project shows rapid loss of forests, offers new view of Va.’s changing landscapes
Approximately 60% of Virginia is located inside the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and those communities now have access to an updated map that shows precisely how their landscapes are changing over time.
- Spanberger’s Radical Energy Policy: Feels Good, Costs a Ton, and Built on Slave Labor
Spanberger’s Radical Energy Agenda On many occasions Democrat Gubernatorial Candidate Abigail Spanberger has talked about her support for the Biden Administration’s environmental policies and the “importance of moving away from fossil fuels.” So, what does this really mean for the average Virginian family? For the last democrat governor of Virginia, Ralph Northam, this meant a […]
- Hitachi Energy invests $457 million to create 825 new jobs in Halifax County
Hitachi Energy plans to invest $457m and create 825 new jobs on its South Boston Campus in Halifax County. The company will be building more power grid components as the demand for electricity is increasing rapidly.
- Regulator approves electricity transmission line, towers in Alexandria to serve one data center
Bren Pointe residents in Fairfax County are closer to seeing steel transmission towers rise just outside their townhomes after Virginia’s regulators approved a new electricity line to serve a single planned commercial data center.
- Virginia’s energy needs can’t wait. Now is the time for nuclear power and clean gas.
The Virginia Clean Economy Act was passed into law by the Governor of Virginia. Its supporters celebrated this bold step towards a future free from carbon. The ink had barely dried before the realities and assumptions of the 21st Century began to overwhelm its assumptions. Virginia’s demand for energy has increased dramatically in just a […]
- Chesterfield community members sustain opposition to proposed gas plant Dominion calls necessary
Members of the Chesterfield community gather before a DEQ meeting about the proposed Dominion Energy gas plant. (Photo by Shannon Heckt/Virginia Mercury) “Enough is enough,” Jason Woodby said in a crowd of Chesterfield residents at the Department of Environmental Quality’s Aug. 7 informational meeting for a new Dominion Energy gas plant air permit. The utility […]
- Addiction treatment as an economic development strategy? Dickenson County, ravaged by substance abuse and overdose deaths, says yes
Developer Greg May was pulling out of the parking lot of a barbecue lunch he throws every year in Dickenson County when he heard a commotion and saw a large man running toward him, waving his arms and yelling. May stopped and rolled down the window. “Are you Greg May?” the man asked, and May […]
- York and Gloucester Counties to see Toll Removal thanks to Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin
Governor Glenn Youngkin today announced that toll collection on the Route 17 George P. Coleman Bridge will cease on the evening of August 8, 2025.
- IT contractor to invest $1M in Tysons headquarters
A company in the information technology sector that had received offers from Texas, Florida and West Virginia but chose to remain in Tysons despite receiving competing bids.
- Virginia doesn’t have statewide data center regulations. Localities are making their own rules.
Virginia is home to over a third of the data centers worldwide. These energy hungry facilities have brought business to the commonwealth, but communities are seeing the impact of the electricity and water usage hit their utility bills. Now, many localities are debating how to balance the opportunities and challenges data centers present, and grappling with how to regulate them.
- New Farm Cidery in Augusta County
Governor Glenn Youngkin announced today that Stone Ledge Cider will construct a new craft cider production facility and tasting room on the grounds of their 20-acre agritourism farm in Augusta County.
- In Support of the GOP Tax Bill and Silencer Deregulation
The Republican tax bill, including its provision to eliminate the $200 tax and registration requirements for firearm silencers, represents a practical approach to reducing government overreach while promoting individual freedoms and economic growth. Contrary to the criticisms from Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, this legislation prioritizes the needs of law-abiding citizens and offers signific
- Governor Glenn Youngkin Announces Delta Star Inc. Expands Lynchburg Manufacturing Facility
For Immediate Release: April 17, 2025 Contacts: Office of the Governor:Peter Finocchio, Peter.
- Virginia’s budget surplus grows as revenues beat expectations due to Republican management
Virginia’s general fund revenues rose sharply in April, bucking signs of a national economic cooldown as the state continues to post steady long-time job growth and rake in more tax dollars than projected.
- Response to “Trump’s Attack on Offshore Wind is Hurting Virginia. Why Aren’t Republican Leaders Fighting for Us?”
The Virginia Mercury article (May 19, 2025) argues that President Donald Trump’s executive order halting offshore wind project approvals, permits, and funding is detrimental to Virginia’s economy, particularly the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project, and criticizes Republican leaders like Governor Glenn Youngkin and Attorney General Jason Miyares for not opposing it.
- As demand for AI rises, so do power thirsty data centers
The next time you’re on a Zoom meeting or asking ChatGPT a question, picture this: The information zips instantaneously through a room of hot, humming servers, traveling hundreds, possibly thousands of miles, before it makes its way back to you in just a second or two.
- Northern Virginia leaders plead for state’s help amid federal job cuts
Northern Virginia leaders urged lawmakers on Tuesday to enact emergency legislation to help stabilize their local economy as the White House cuts federal jobs, which they said has sharply impacted the dense cluster of government employees and contractors based in the suburbs of the nation’s capital.
- Fairfax County apartment prices continue to rise, Tysons being the most expensive region.
Even as economic turmoil is looming, apartment rents in Northern Virginia continue to rise year-over-year.
- Petersburg Casino begin $1.4B construction
The Cordish Cos., based in Baltimore, and Virginia Beach developer Bruce Smith Enterprise broke the ground on Wednesday for the $1.4 billion Live! Casino & Hotel Resort Petersburg.
- Charles City County to get 500-acre campus for data center
Diode Ventures, a Kansas-based company, recently submitted plans to county Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors for rezone 515 acres approximately 20 miles east of Richmond in order to create a datacenter campus named Roxbury Technology Park.
- Winsome Earle Sears’ Op-Ed: Voters deserve honesty
By Lieutenant governor Winsome Earle Sears on December 16th 2024, in VaGovernor.
- Evaporative Technologies Company to Expand in Virginia
For Immediate Release: June 18, 2024 Contacts: Office of the Governor: Christian Martinez, Christian.
- Trump win immediately impacts financial markets
News of Trump’s re-election to the White House sent markets surging Wednesday.
- Inflation not just election mantra; research shows prices have jumped 22% since 2020
American consumers have seen prices increase by 22% under the Biden Administration. In a recent survey by the Pew Research Center, consumer prices have significantly risen between January 2020 and August 2024. Worse, 74% of Americans say they are very concerned about the price of food and consumer goods, and 69% are similarly concerned about […]
- Glenn Youngkin Announces Consumer News and Business Channel Names Virginia America’s Top State for Business
RICHMOND, VA — Governor Glenn Youngkin today announced that Virginia is ranked “America’s Top State for Business” by CNBC.
- International Mining Equipment Manufacturer to Expand in Virginia
Liebherr Mining Equipment investing $72.3 million to increase global mining truck production in the City of Newport News and the City of