ROUNDUP: Governor’s Data Center Accountability Framework
GainesvilleGGData center in Prince William County, Virginia. Photo by Hugh Kenny.
On Friday, September 18th, Governor Spanberger released Virginia’s Data Center Accountability Framework, a detailed, wide-ranging plan to address many of the impacts facing communities in crisis today from the rapidly growing industry. The announcement included the signing of Executive Order 22 and a policy platform to be introduced this upcoming General Assembly session.
The framework sets out a path to strengthen environmental protections for Virginia communities by setting standards for data center water use and energy use, and expedites setting standards for noise; reducing reliance on diesel and methane gas generation; and accelerating clean energy deployment. It would also give decision-makers more information and authority to evaluate the environmental impacts of large data center projects before they are approved.
For years, Virginia has seen rapid and unchecked data center development without any clear or coordinated plan to address their impacts on Virginians — on their electric bills, their water, their land, their air, or their quality of life.
These impacts are not hypothetical or far off into the future. Virginians are feeling them now, day in and day out — which is why the need for action is so urgent. This plan is a good first step, but new rules will not go into effect until a year from now. In the meantime, Virginia urgently needs a pause on data center development until strong regulations are in place.
Benefits of the Framework
Protecting Virginia’s Water
The framework establishes a plan for water-use standards for data centers, promotes more efficient water use, and strengthens enforcement to reduce the facilities’ overall demand on Virginia’s water resources.
Cleaning Up Data Center Power
Addresses the environmental impacts of diesel backup generators by evaluating their cumulative impacts and moving existing and future facilities toward cleaner backup power.
Driving Energy Efficiency
Sets stronger standards for data center energy efficiency, helping reduce electricity consumption and the associated demand for new generation and transmission infrastructure.
Accelerating Virginia’s Clean Energy Future
Encourages data centers to invest in clean energy, reduces reliance on on-site natural gas generation, and prioritizes grid access for facilities that reduce emissions and support clean energy deployment.
Protecting Land & Communities
Strengthens consideration of data centers’ land and community impacts by increasing local oversight, removing large facilities from fast-track permitting, and giving communities more tools to engage in project decisions.
Cutting Data Center Noise
Expedites new state noise regulations for data centers, creating stronger protections for communities located near these large facilities.
What’s Missing from the Data Center Accountability Framework?
While these are the strongest standards yet to rein in data centers’ environmental impacts and protect our communities, more must be done to hold the data center industry accountable, especially since Virginia is a hub for the industry, with 500 data centers already built and 200 more in the pipeline. With so many existing facilities, regulation can only be meaningful if it applies to all data centers.
Pause to Protect
The Governor’s framework is an ambitious plan that will take time to fully implement, and much of which will need to go through the legislative process before being finalized. In the meantime, Virginia needs to pause data center development to protect our communities, wallets, air, and water. Virginia must place a temporary moratorium on the local approval process until protections are put in place to safeguard Virginians from existing and future data center impacts.
Halt On-Site Gas
While a limit on on-site gas is proposed, our network wants to see zero on-site gas built at data centers to protect the health of neighboring communities.
Addressing Existing Data Centers
Virginia needs a plan that addresses the current and ongoing impacts already felt on communities. We must see these standards on existing data centers.
Statements from the Community
Virginia Conservation Network Partners and other stakeholders released the following statements regarding the Framework. Check back for more statements.
Last updated on September 21st, 2026 at 1 PM.
Virginia Conservation Network
“Governor Spanberger’s Data Center Accountability Framework makes meaningful progress in beginning to address the growing impacts data center development is having on communities, our natural resources, and Virginia’s energy system. We are encouraged by the framework’s focus on greater transparency, environmental protections, community engagement, and accountability for the costs and impacts of data center growth. We look forward to working with the Administration, General Assembly, and our Partners to ensure the passage of strong, complimentary legislation and implementation of the Executive Order. Our Network continues to call for a pause of data center development until regulations and standards are clearly in place and enforced to protect our communities, wallets, air, and water.”
– Lillian Anderson, Director of Clean Energy Programs
“Governor Spanberger’s approach is comprehensive – her set of solutions recognizes the scale and breadth of the impacts Virginians are facing from data centers and the rush to build more of them. Her platform centers community well being and self-determination and prioritizes the need for guardrails on the industry. We look forward to working with the governor and the General Assembly to support, strengthen, enact and enforce these critical protections.”
-Tom Cormons, Executive Director
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
“Chesapeake Bay Foundation welcomes Governor Spanberger’s ambitious framework to rein in the impacts that unchecked data center growth is having on Virginia’s waters and lands. “Bringing greater transparency, setting real environmental standards, and establishing new precedents for what responsible development looks like is a critical step toward protecting Virginia’s natural resources for generations to come. We look forward to working with the Administration and the General Assembly to turn this framework into strong, lasting protections for Virginia’s air, land, and water.”
– Jay Ford, Virginia Policy Manager
“We appreciate that the Governor’s platform takes several major steps forward, but also that communities facing data center development are in crisis right now. We need a pause on data center approvals until water-tight environmental and community protections are on the books and being enforced. Scientists are begging policymakers to take decisive action yesterday to stop runaway climate change, while the Trump Administration moves to allow limitless pollution. We must stop the madness and issue an immediate pause on approvals until these protections – and more – are fully implemented.”
– Victoria Higgins, Virginia Director
Clean Virginia
“Governor Spanberger’s data center accountability framework is a meaningful step forward in addressing the impact of Virginia’s unchecked data center growth. The real test will come in the months ahead as the Governor works with the legislature to flesh out details on who pays, who bears risk, and what conditions must be met for continued data center development. Clean Virginia supports a pause on further data center development while these details are worked out and encourages Governor Spanberger to do the same.
In addition to clear, enforceable standards that require – not reward – responsible data center development, Virginia must adopt a more comprehensive approach to ensure data center-related costs are not shifted onto families and other electric customers. That means addressing the full range of costs created by unprecedented data center expansion, including transmission and generation infrastructure costs, PJM-related costs, project financing costs and other risks, and environmental and public health impacts.”
– Brennan Gilmore, Executive Director
“As the global hub for data center development, Virginia has a huge opportunity to lead the way on accountability. This framework outlines a path forward to protect communities from bearing pollution and costs from data centers, while leveraging this growth to catalyze cleaner, more affordable and reliable power.
“The work ahead to translate this framework into real policies matters enormously. We look forward to working with Governor Spanberger and lawmakers across the Commonwealth to advance policies that curb costs, strengthen and modernize the grid, advance water stewardship and deliver lasting benefits to communities.”
– Emily Steinhilber, Virginia State Director
Natural Resources Defense Council
“This proposal by Governor Spanberger is a welcome response to the growing concerns about the existing and long-term impact of the rampant pace of data center development across Virginia. We need to act quickly to protect household affordability, quality of life, and natural resources. This is just the beginning of the process — we look forward to working with the governor, legislative leaders and impacted communities to build com
– Dawone Robinson, Managing Director for Climate and Energy
Piedmont Environmental Council
“We appreciate the Administration’s recognition of data centers’ harmful impacts on Virginians. There are some positive elements in the framework, but it does not address the immediacy of this crisis or bring adequate oversight and accountability. It largely addresses standards on new data centers and does not deal with what’s already built and in the pipeline. It does not address the continued connection of data centers to the grid, despite inadequate power and the many impacts on air quality, water supply, electric bills, and people and communities especially from the hundreds of miles of proposed transmission lines and several new gas plants being built solely to meet data center energy demand.”
– Julie Bolthouse, Director of Land Use
“Big Tech has been given a free pass in Virginia for too long. Given the chance to do so time and time again, the world’s biggest tech companies have proven they have no interest in avoiding irresponsible and destructive data center development unless they are forced to. They are capable of doing better, and today marks a shift towards overdue accountability.”
“The Sierra Club commends Governor Spanberger for her executive order and proposed policy platform and is grateful to her for this robust action. The order represents the strongest executive action taken on the environmental impacts of data centers in Virginia that we have ever seen. The Data Center Accountability Framework proposed includes major and important steps forward for continued action. We look forward to working with Governor Spanberger, her administration, and members of the General Assembly from both sides of the aisle to enact these meaningful improvements.”
– Connor Kish, Director
“This is a promising and ambitious announcement. Virginians have been struggling with the impacts of data centers—from skyrocketing electric bills, to communities being kept in the dark about proposals in their backyards, to harmful air and noise pollution, and to projects that are placing tremendous strains on our water supplies. The Governor’s framework is focused on tackling these concerns to deliver better outcomes for our communities. I am eager to work with her and her entire team, and the General Assembly, to sort through the details, make this a reality, and pass a strong package of reforms.”
– Nate Benforado, Senior Attorney
“You can’t go too many places in America today where people are not raising concerns about data centers. For us in Virginia, this is old news. Data Centers have been reshaping communities. Our electric bills keep going up. Neighborhoods have black clouds over them coming from diesel generators on the hottest days of the year. Local officials are cutting deals with companies and keeping the details secret from their voters. People are angry.
“Virginians have been clamoring for action, and for the most part, their concerns have been falling on deaf ears. Virginia LCV represents voters from across the Commonwealth. We fight for a cleaner environment and for a healthier democracy. When the people are crying for help because their community is being polluted and no one is listening, both our environment and our democracy suffer. Until today, that has been our path with data centers.Today, that changes.
“We and many of our partners are ready to work with Governor Spanberger as she leads Virginia into a new era of data center accountability. Together, we’ll cut pollution and we’ll protect communities. The path ahead will not be easy, and we will not always agree. Tomorrow the work begins. Today, we say thank you, Governor Spanberger, thank you for your commitment to tackle this issue and we stand ready to join you as we build a stronger, healthier and cleaner Virginia together.”
– Michael Town, Executive Director