RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- After an initial tie, a bill that would increase oversight of Virginia's large data centers was reconsidered and passed on a motion to do so, meaning it will now move to local government for review. In his weekly newsletter, Sen. Glen Sturtevant (R-Colonial Heights) said h e introduced several "common sense" bills this session, including legislation aimed at tightening oversight of large data centers. Hanover leaders recommend denial of proposed data center With the Commonwealth serving as the undisputed No. 1 state for data centers in the U.S. and the world, Senate Bill 552 would tighten oversight on where and how large data centers are built or expanded, with a strong focus on community impact and environmental review. On Tuesday, Jan. 27, Sturtevant highlighted the challenges with what he called "data center alley" as he introduced SB 552 to the Virginia Senate. Sturtevant cited a December 2024 report from the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC), which found that Virginia’s booming data center industry has both benefits and drawbacks. While it can bring substantial economic benefit, it is also places heavy demands on the state's infrastructure. "But I think this is an issue that many of us have recognized that the infrastructure and buildout costs of the development of these data centers are costs that are borne by ratepayers all across the Commonwealth," Sturtevant said. "It's subsidizing the internet usage and cloud storage and everything else that data centers use for the entire country and the entire world and putting it on the backs of Virginia ratepayers." Additionally, many of those opposed to data centers also worry about water usage, air and noise pollution and the loss of rural character in some of Virginia’s more rural regions. He also raised concerns about water usage, saying that Northern Virginia data centers consumed about two billion gallons of water in 2023. $3 billion data center campus coming to eastern Powhatan The bill would require the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to review site assessment to ensure compliance with standards covering noise, light pollution and illumination at night, water usage and source impacts, air emissions, traffic and other construction-phase impacts, and other impacts of proximity to residential units and schools. The bill allows the Office of the Attorney General to enforce its provisions against Virginia's large data centers and directs the DEQ to develop site assessment standards by July 1, 2027. Some of those provisions will take effect that day. Jay Ford, with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, said this is something they have been asking for from the data center industry for quite some time, as it is growing with more than 400,000 square feet of space. "This is information folks need -- CBF seeks transparency on all major permits, particularly with our sensitive groundwater concerns," Ford said. "This bill does a lot of good, and it would be great if we would do this for all major pollution permits in the state." ‘Don’t destroy our paradise’: Neighbors push back on 400-acre data center campus in Hanover Opponents, like Nicole Riley with the Data Center Coalition, argued the bill is unnecessary. Riley said existing laws already address many of these issues, including a bill introduced last year by Sen. Adam Ebbin, which allows site assessments for high-energy assessments for users. "This puts on a later of state reduncy review that would create time delay for projects," she said. "It would also specifically only target large data centers. We also think that local governments should be making these decisions for themselves based on the goals and visions for their localities." Sturtevant defined a large data center as one with a capacity of 1 megawatt; however, Riley said her definition is more than double this. Sen. Russet Perry acknowledged ongoing concerns about data centers in Northern Virginia, but said the bill is mainly about transparency and responsible managementof resources -- what she calls "good governance." In a 7-7 tie, the bill failed to advance and was not referred to local government. However, after passing a motion to reconsider with a 9-5 vote, legislators moved to report and refer to the local government. Virginia is largely considered the data center capital of the world, as it has the largest data center concentration globally. ...read more read less