Dozens of bills have been introduced by members of both parties

by Charlie Paullin

As data centers continue to proliferate across Virginia, the General Assembly this winter is poised to take up a host of bills intended to address their impacts, including increased electricity costs and 
environmental pressures. 

Virginia is home to the greatest concentration of data centers in the world. While the centers can be found around the state, most are in Northern Virginia, which has more than 300. Eastern Loudoun County, where the facilities cover roughly 573 acres, is known as Data Center Alley. Prince William is increasingly becoming a hot spot after local officials recently approved a campus of as many as nine centers that would sit on 270 acres, and as many as 37 centers on 2,000 acres.

“They came to Northern Virginia because of the workforce, because of the existing infrastructure and proximity to the federal government,” said state Sen. Danica Roem, D-Manassas.

The industry, which receives millions of dollars in tax breaks, says data centers are a modern necessity that also provide an economic boost to the state.

“The data center industry has invested more than $37 billion in the commonwealth over the past two years and Virginia continues to distinguish itself as one of the most dynamic and important locations in the world for the digital infrastructure that enables our innovation economy and meets the growing, collective computing demands of individuals and organizations of all sizes,” said Josh Levi, president of the Data Center Coalition.

But environmental and some local groups say the rapid proliferation of the facilities requires officials to institute ratepayer and environmental protections. 

“Virginia has an opportunity to lead here,” said Paige Wesselink, digital outreach coordinator with the Virginia chapter of the Sierra Club.

This December, Virginia’s Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, which conducts research on behalf of the General Assembly, passed a resolution to study the overall impacts of the industry 
in Virginia.

In the meantime, both Democrats and Republicans have introduced about a dozen bills addressing data center growth, ranging from evaluating the costs of electric grid upgrades; requiring buffers around facilities and site assessments of land, air and water impacts; and linking clean energy sourcing requirements to tax 
credit eligibility. 

Any bills that pass the General Assembly will also have to gain the support of Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who has supported a $35 billion investment by Amazon Web Services in data center campuses across Virginia.

Youngkin spokesman Christian Martinez said the governor will review any legislation sent to his desk.

Del. Ian Lovejoy, R-Prince William, said he believes there is room for bipartisan agreement on many of this 
session’s proposals.

“There has to be for Prince William County to get anything done,” said Lovejoy. “Hopefully the houses can work on something that the governor will find acceptable.”

Ratepayer protections 

Several bills this session aim to address concerns about data centers’ large electricity demand, which can require the construction of new generation sources and grid upgrades.

According to the federal government, data centers need 10 to 50 times the energy per floor space of a typical commercial office building. In Virginia, Dominion Energy has cited expected increases in data centers as a primary driver of its request to build a new natural gas plant in Chesterfield. Additionally, higher-voltage transmission lines are often needed to deliver the power data centers need, at a cost of tens of millions of dollars.

One bill from Sen. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Loudoun, would require utility regulators at the State Corporation Commission to “ensure” that any request from a utility to meet demand linked to data centers be met at the “lowest aggregate reasonable cost.” 

It would also require the SCC to evaluate current rate structures to see if transmission project costs linked to data centers are being fairly applied or are being spread too widely among the 
broader customer base. 

“One of the benefits of data centers is how much money it brings to a locality,” Subramanyam said. “And we like that, but I also want to make sure that the infrastructure needed to power those data centers, that those costs are reasonable to ratepayers and are not essentially defeating that purpose of the data centers, which is to be an economic boon for 
a locality.”

The idea is to begin the conversation on who should pay for the upgrades, said Dan Holmes, legislative director for Clean Virginia, a clean energy advocacy group started by millionaire Michael Bills to counter Dominion’s influence in the General Assembly. Some transmission upgrade projects may improve service for the greater community, he noted, meaning it might make sense for costs to be spread out among 
more customers. 

“We need the SCC to affirmatively answer some of these questions,” said Holmes.

Another bill from Subramanyam and Del. Rip Sullivan, D-Fairfax County, would require data centers to meet certain standards, including getting 90% of their energy from non-carbon-emitting sources and demonstrating certain levels of energy efficiency, in order to be eligible for the state’s data center retail sales and use 
tax exemption. 

“I just want my kids and grandkids to live in a community where the data centers aren’t harming them in any sort of way, and that they’re not getting in the way of us addressing bigger problems like climate change,” 
Subramanyam said.

Environmental protections 

In addition to the strain on the grid, concerns over potential environmental harms have led to a handful of 
legislative proposals.

One of Roem’s bills would require data centers sited within one mile of a national or state park to minimize their stormwater runoff. In Prince William County, a conservation group recently found data centers increase such runoff. 

Three other bills — from Roem, Del. Joshua Thomas, D-Prince William, and Lovejoy — would require various land buffers between data centers and parks and residences.

“The building of data centers is very close to residential neighborhoods, communities that were originally sites of land that were originally slated for residential being rezoned as light industrial,” said Lovejoy. “We wanted to make sure that that wasn’t being ignored.”

Still other measures focus on water usage. According to Venkatesh Uddameri, a professor and director of the Water Resources Center at Texas Tech University, a typical data center requires 3 to 5 million gallons of water a day in order to keep its machines cool enough to operate.

Data centers are able to recycle water, but only to a certain point. A presentation by Caroline County Public Utilities about one data center proposal found the facilities can only recycle 25% of the water they use because the rest evaporates. 

Bills from Thomas and Roem would require localities to conduct site assessments to examine the effect of a data center on water usage and carbon emissions. A different bill from Sen. Richard Stuart, R-King George, would ask the state Department of Environmental Quality to study the impact of data centers on groundwater supply, while a proposal from Del. Michael Webert, R-Fauquier, would create different water and sewer rates for data centers than those charged to other customers. 

Calls for environmental protections also extend to the noise generated by data centers, which some adjacent residents have said sounds like constant lawn work. A separate bill from Roem would require that a noise analysis be done by a third party as part of the local approval process. The bill would apply to future development and also limit backup generators to only running between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. 

“Some people live in situations where they sleep at different hours than anyone else,” Roem said. “So maybe somebody needs to be sleeping in the early evening or whenever, because they’re working the night shift, or just anything.” 

Altogether, the measures are intended to provide some protection for future development of the industry, said Kyle Hart, manager at the National Parks Conservation Association. 

“This is an industry that is fully capable of meeting these expectations,” said Hart. “This is [a] long-term vision for 
this industry.”

Charles Paullin covers energy and environment for the Mercury. He previously worked for Northern Virginia Daily in the Northern Shenandoah Valley. This article originally appeared in the  Virginia Mercury.

By David Lillard

I first did a dry January several years ago when some friends were doing it. I received most of the promised benefits, plus some added insights. One is that alcohol features prominently in a lot of social settings. Duh. Hadn’t really noticed it before, but it’s everywhere. It must be a drudge to be one of the roughly third of Americans that doesn’t drink and be surrounded by loud tipsy people. A second insight was that some of the people I ran with really weren’t that interesting to me without that liquid social lubricator. And I suspect I wasn’t that interesting to them either. So long.

No on knows for sure who first came up with the idea of going on the wagon for the month of January. Likely, as long as there have been revelers waking on January 1 (probably in the afternoon) to declare, “I’m not drinking for an entire month!” These days, Dry January abstinence is observed (or attempted) by upwards of 13 percent of Americans, according to polling by 
Morning Consult. 

In the United Kingdom, Dry January is a registered trademark of Alcohol Change UK, which is celebrating its 11th year in 2024. In the United States, credit is often given to New York resident Frank Posillico, who is said to have coined the phrase in 2008. The distinguishing factor of the Dry January, as opposed to just deciding not to drink for the month of January, appears to be one’s public declaration of the goal — rather than suffering in silence and accepting any setbacks 
in private.

According to polling company Gallup, roughly two thirds of Americans drink at least occasionally throughout the year, and up to half drink regularly. Most surveys also show a lingering uptick of daily drinking that began during the Covid-19 pandemic. Gallup polling suggests that religious people drink as much as the non-religious, although data cited by a Penn State professor suggests regular church goers drink slightly less. White Americans tend to drink more than Black Americans. And higher income equates to higher alcohol consumption — booze isn’t free!

Regardless of whether someone has one drink or two every day, or a few each week, there are benefits from a month of alcohol abstinence. Below are some from the National Institutes of Health.

Improved sleep. As we age, a solid seven hours can become more illusive. The last thing we need is to wake at 3am from alcohol-related sleeplessness, especially considering how much we know now about the importance of sleep. For many people re-orienting their relationship with alcohol, improved sleep is reason enough to abstain. Some older adults cite improved sleep for giving up the bottle altogether. [There’s an old Irish joke that says the cure alcohol wakefulness is to get out of bed and have snort.]

Weight loss. With anywhere between a hundred and 250 calories per drink, alcohol calories (which contain a lot of sugars) can add up. Many people experience weight loss when abstaining from alcohol. Then again, if you’re making up for sobriety with more ice cream or snacks, not so much. Most of us don’t go out for an evening and eat several Snickers bars, but we can drink those calories without thinking of it. Hence, the term “beer belly.”

Liver preservation. According to the National Institutes of Health, liver repair begins within weeks of abstinence — or of simply following the recommended guidelines of one drink per day for women and two for men. If you get annual blood work, and you notice something called triglycerides are above normal, cutting back is a good idea.

Decreased risk of heart disease. Alcohol raises blood pressure, and the effect can last for days. It also can increase LDL cholesterol, and has other effects on cardio vascular health. The improvement to blood pressure can be seen in a matter of days. For people with high blood pressure, giving up or cutting way back on alcohol helps them avoid blood pressure medication. A 2017 study published in the medical journal BMJ cites that short-term abstinence from alcohol improved insulin resistance, resulted in weight loss, lower blood pressure, and improved liver function.  

Money saved. This could be a tossup if you replace booze with binge buying. But the numbers don’t require an advanced mathematics degree: even a cheap 12-pack once a week is a $50-per-month habit. A box of wine once a week adds up to over a thousand bucks a year. And that doesn’t include drinking out.

Mental clarity. This one is self-explanatory. If you’ve had a morning fog that lingered into afternoon, you know.

Lillian Ledford, an environmental educator in Clarke County, recently gave up drinking altogether. I asked her if she felt better physically and mentally. “Good golly, yes! Within the first two weeks I stopped feeling persistently slightly unwell, and my sleeping started to improve,” she said. “At  three weeks my chronic joint pain reduced, and I started running short distances. I’m able to run sprightly up and down stairs, my handwriting has improved, and I fall asleep easily, sleep through the night, and usually 
wake refreshed. 

“I feel mentally calm and so much more patient, while at the same time I can remember more (including memories I thought long gone), and my intellect is returning,” she Ledford said. “I was at the point of only concrete, one step at a time thinking, and I’m back to being able to think abstractly and make the kind of connections necessary for innovation and problem-solving.” 

Dryish January

Surveys say a leading reason people give for an alcohol-free January is a simple reset. A cleansing of sort. And for some it’s a hoped-for period of mindfulness that leads to positive, lasting change. Success is in giving it your best try. “Don’t beat yourself up for having a beer with friends while watching a game or having dinner out,” says a dry January pal who wishes to remain anonymous. “Just avoid the habituated drinking, like having a nightly glass of wine while cooking or reaching for a cold one whenever sports is on the TV.” In other words, no 
drinking alone.

This request for anonymity reveals something about alcohol use in general. About a quarter of people who do drink, self report that they want to drink less — not just in January, but all the time. For some, the inability to make it through one month is a strong sign that maybe no amount is good 
for them.

The idea behind dryish January is not to just take a month off; it’s to rethink the habit, maybe permanently cut back. Or stop altogether if that’s the right thing for you. 

Of course, there’s an app for that — several actually. One app  walks you through a survey to create a customized plan for you. Want to cut out booze altogether? There’s a plan. Cut it in half? There’s a plan for that, too. Go to where you get your apps and search.

Alcohol free options

The world of NA, or no alcohol beverages has evolved over the last decade. There are now varietals of no alcohol wines and an array of spirts, including NA bourbons — Kentucky 74 NA bourbon makes a serviceable Old Fashion. Craft NA beers, yes there is a craft category, have upped the flavor profile to compare with traditional beers, especially among lagers and pilsners.

You can find a lot to choose from at Locke Store in Millwood. Wine manager Brad Castle says the store always has a stock of both dealcoholized and non-alcoholic wines and beers. Dealcoholized wines start out as regular wines, then have their alcohol removed, says Castle, down to between 0 and 0.5 percent alcohol. Non-alcoholic beverages have no alcohol to begin with. 

Locke also carries an assortment of beverages from Kin Euphoric, which Castle describes as, “a fun niche for people who are health conscious.” The Kin Euphoric website describes their popular Dream Light drink as, “Non-alcoholic, non-caffeinated … a made-to-mix beverage infused with adaptogens, nootropics, and botanics like Reishi Mushroom, Melatonin, and L-Tryptophan to quiet your mind, release what’s beyond your control, and help you reach a natural circadian rhythm for deeper, more 
restful sleep.”

You won’t save any money drinking Kin over your garden-variety alcoholic beverage, but the recipes look good enough to get you through the month and beyond. The site also offers recipes that use Kin varietals to make so-called mocktails. Locke is the only store in Clarke County where you will find Kin, so head there to stock up.

Asked whether Locke sees a decrease in wine sales during January, Castle said not so much. “It’s just different. There are some people who say they are doing dry January who come in for our alcohol free wines,” he said, so that means new seasonal sales. “And many of our customers buy all of their beverages here.”

Locke also carries craft NA beers like Athletic Brewing, an award-winning brewer offering a range of styles, including berry infused. My personal favorite is All Out, Extra Dark, a coffee-flavored stout. It has the added benefit of promoting a slow sip, a more mindful mug. For those going dryish, one regular stout and one All Out makes for an evening. All out, though, is not light on carbohydrates like some of the Athletic beers with a low-carb, high 
flavor profile.

Here’s the thing

Here’s what you need to know if you do drink alcohol and you don’t do Dry January. Be supportive of your friends and family who do. Right? When a friend is trying to lose weight, you don’t go out for all-you-can-eat pasta. You support. You discover new things together that make your friendship deeper. The tea room, a yoga class, the listening and sharing that brought you together in the first place.

Alcohol has a place in our traditions. After all, Jesus didn’t turn water into milk. Sometimes, though, we need a little help from our friends to get by. A little help. A little help from our friends.

In the colder months of the year, after the garden tools and camping gear are stowed, out come the bird feeders and in comes a nightly rite known as Bird Hour. It’s that time just before dusk, the dinner rush for all the winged winter residents just before they — and I — settle in for a long winter’s night. Bird Hour is a special time of day; I resent the days when I’m so rushed or otherwise occupied that I miss it.

 I have a dear friend who lives a few hours away who also pauses at Bird Hour. It’s comforting to know that whatever the day might bring, the chickadees, cardinals, finches, nuthatches, titmice, and all the others will stop by — and that I am sharing a silent moment with a kindred spirit two hundred miles away.

This time of year, many of us make resolutions, usually about what we are going to do. Go to the gym more often, eat healthier, drink less, write a best seller. Whatever your resolution is, I wish you all the best, and encourage you to add a bold resolution to do nothing. Nothing at all, each day, for some brief moment.

Maybe you’re not the Bird Hour sort. Maybe for you, it’s spending a few minutes each day with old photo albums, maybe it’s standing outside in the cold, or staring at the fire. If you have a special someone, you can do nothing together. 

Forget productivity for a few minutes. Rest. Be idle for a spell each day. It’s a resolution you’ll keep once you try it.

That’s my New Year’s Wish for you.

Be well,
David Lillard