Spotsylvania Backed Statewide Data Center Moratorium Call Spanberger Rejected

Spotsylvania supervisors voted 4-2 in August to support Sen. Glen Sturtevant's call for Gov. Abigail Spanberger to issue a statewide data center moratorium, even as the governor told 7News she will not take that step, WJLA reported.

Spanberger said localities may pause projects themselves and that her statewide focus is setting high standards for water, noise, land and energy use while partnering with the General Assembly. She also said she does not plan to intervene in other State Corporation Commission cases beyond the Dominion-NextEra merger.

Sturtevant argued transmission lines, electricity demand and water use create statewide consequences that zoning maps cannot contain. Supervisor David Goosman said localities should band together to flag power-generation limits and bill impacts.

Virginia already hosts more than 600 data centers with hundreds more proposed, keeping the moratorium debate live through the fall campaign.