Energy
- Spanberger’s ICE actions deepen divide with Virginia Democrats
Gov. Abigail Spanberger within just 24 hours vetoed two legislative packages aimed at limiting federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in Virginia while simultaneously signing other measures targeting masked federal agents and issuing a sweeping executive order governing how ICE officers may operate on state property. The mixed actions frustrated and baffled some Democratic lawmakers
- Virginia governor signs Dominion-backed bills. All eyes on regulators now.
RICHMOND, Va.—Gov. Abigail Spanberger on Thursday signed legislation that directs regulators to assign electricity costs to data centers and allows Dominion Energy to spend $900,000 a mile burying local distribution lines. The bills from Senate President Pro Tem Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, and Del. Destiny LeVere Bolling, D-Henrico, could have also required data centers to cover […]
- Abigail Spanberger vetoes bills allowing public employees to collectively bargain working condition, wages
Gov. Abigail Spanberger vetoed collective bargaining legislation Thursday, drawing major criticism from some of the state’s largest unions and labor advocate groups. The governor previously expressed support for the bills that would allow more Virginia public workers to organize in unions and negotiate their working conditions and pay rates. Spanberger first sought amendments to Senate […]
- Data center tax exemption changes still holding up Virginia budget
Virginia House Speaker Don Scott (left) and Senate President Pro Tempore Louise Lucas speak with reporters on Wednesday. (Photo by Charles Paullin/Inside Climate News) This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News (hyperlink to the original story), a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here. […]
- Early poll is sobering for Spanberger, but it’s a wake-up call, not an epitaph
Gov. Abigail Spanberger speaks with reporters outside the Executive Mansion in Richmond earlier this month. (Photo by Markus Schmidt/Virginia Mercury) The first report card on Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s still brand-new term is in, and she can’t be happy with it. I’m hearing she’s decidedly unhappy. A new survey by the Washington Post and George Mason […]
- Virginia lawmakers recess special session without a budget deal
The Virginia state Capitol in Richmond, where lawmakers convened Thursday for a special session to finalize the budget. (Photo by Charlotte Rene Woods/Virginia Mercury) The Virginia General Assembly convened for a special session Thursday to finalize the state’s $212 billion budget, but recessed after just a few hours without a deal, underscoring deep divisions within […]
- Public Comment Urges Solar and Battery Integration for Proposed Virginia County Government Center
The commenter commended these provisions as successful steps toward environmental protection but advocated for additional requirements: installation of rooftop solar panels and battery storage systems. Describing the site as suitable for a model public property, the speaker called on the board to treat the opportunity as a chance for government to demonstrate leadership by example […]
- 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 […]
- Public Input Calls for Enhanced Sustainability Features in Loudoun County’s Tuscarora Land Bay 4 Government Center Proposal
The application addresses development on the property designated for county government use. Proposed conditions encompass stormwater protection and related design elements, invasive species certification and management, low-impact development practices, and water quality tree conservation. These measures aim to minimize ecological disruption while advancing the facility’s construction. The speaker
- 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 […]
- 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 […]
- Data center growth drives locals to fight for more say
An aerial view shows a data center situated near single-family homes in Stone Ridge, Va., last year. Local communities around the country are seeking more input on where and how data centers are built. (Photo by Nathan Howard/Getty Images) When local activist Frank Arcoleo found out over the summer that a data center was coming […]
- Roanoke city council to hear presentation about solar panels in schools
On Monday afternoon, Roanoke Public Schools and Secure Solar Futures will present a joint proposal to add solar panels to additional division buildings. Phazhon Nash and Terry McGuire are the sponsors of this presentation.
- Goochland County approves tech overlay district after hours of resident backlash
Goochland County, home to just over 28,000 residents and more than two hours south of Northern Virginia’s “Data Center Alley,” is the latest locality to face intense community pushback over plans to lure data center development to the area.
- 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.
- 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.
- Southwest Virginia lands $11M boost to reclaim abandoned coal mines
Southwest Virginia has been making strides to bring new life to abandoned mine sites. Millions of dollars have been invested in the region to plug the old coal mines, restore the land, and repurpose the space for economic development.
- 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.
- Virginia Natural Gas proposes rate hike, consumer advocates fear big impact on low-income homes
Virginia Natural Gas (VNG) residential users could see their utility bills increase by an average of over $8 monthly, if state regulators accept the company’s current proposal to make an interim rake hike permanent.
- 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 […]
- Billy Long ousted by Trump as IRS chief after less than 2 months in office
Former U.S. Rep. Billy Long testifies before the Senate Finance Committee at his confirmation hearing as Internal Revenue Service commissioner on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (Screenshot from committee webcast) WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump will remove former Missouri Republican U.S. Rep. Billy Long from his post as head of the Internal Revenue Service less than […]
- Dominion Electricity Provider Spends More Dollars on Politicians
Dominion Energy Virginia contributed an additional $1 million to Virginia state level politicians as large, late donations for the pre-primary elections.
- 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.
- 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 Energy Future
According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics American manufacturing jobs have dropped from an all-time high in 1979 of 19.6 million to 12.8 million in 2019. Since taking office on January 20th, President Trump has brought in almost 3 trillion dollars of investment into the future of the United States according to Investing.com. One of […]
- 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.
- Southwest Virginia is not a candidate for nuclear power, but any proposals will be carefully evaluated
Many have talked about the “moonshot”, which Governor Youngkin has undertaken to build a small-modular reactor (SMR) on the coalfields in Southwest Virginia. It was part of the “All the Above” Energy Plan. The LENOWISCO Planning District, District 1, responded almost immediately by facilitating a feasibility study to determine whether an SMR could be located […]
- 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.
- Amazon announces deal with Dominion Energy to develop a small nuclear reactor
Amazon announced Wednesday that it entered into an agreement with Dominion Energy to pay for the development of a small modular reactor as the utility explores building one at its North Anna Power Station, an existing traditional nuclear power plant in Louisa County.
- Governor Glenn Youngkin Praises State Air Pollution Control Board’s Repeal of RGGI
For Immediate Release: June 7, 2023 Contacts: Office of the Governor: Christian Martinez, Christian.