Government New proposal from grid operator PJM would require data centers to bring their own power The plan could shift more energy cost to large-load customers while raising concerns about increased use of backup diesel generators. Click here to read more , and Shannon Heckt, Virginia Mercury August 27, 2026
Government As Va. officials weigh data center pushback, report details industry’s public service funding Virginia localities mull data center pauses as industry-backed report shows how local tax revenue could aid in housing needs. Click here to read more , and Charlotte Rene Woods, Virginia Mercury , and Shannon Heckt, Virginia Mercury August 17, 2026
Government SCC orders Dominion to develop tariff to assign more transmission costs to data centers Commission sides with Spanberger administration, advocates who argued that data centers should have to pay for their own energy infrastructure. Click here to read more , and Shannon Heckt, Virginia Mercury August 6, 2026
Government Virginia senators request special session to act on 'deeply alarming' groundwater report Click here to read more , and Shannon Heckt, Virginia Mercury July 31, 2026
Government Data centers want to build their own gas turbines. Would that skirt state renewable energy laws? As connection queues grow, data center companies propose to build out their own power, with many of them eyeing natural gas turbines Click here to read more , and Shannon Heckt, Virginia Mercury July 20, 2026
Government SCC considers making data centers shoulder more of the cost of transmission lines , and Shannon Heckt, Virginia Mercury July 15, 2026
Business Henricoans among nearly 200 at Capitol Bell Tower rally demanding Virginia leaders rein in data center growth , and Suzanne Boothby, Special to the Citizen July 13, 2026
Community Do data centers impact our physical health? Studies are few and far between. , and Virginia Mercury July 7, 2026
Government How Virginia became the world’s data center capital and how it’s going , and Nathaniel Cline, Virginia Mercury , and Shannon Heckt, Virginia Mercury July 6, 2026
Government Richmond and Henrico leaders urge water conservation, say data centers are not exempt , and WTVR CBS 6 July 2, 2026
Government Virginia has a new two-year budget. Here’s what lawmakers now require of data centers. , and Shannon Heckt, Virginia Mercury June 30, 2026
Government Virginia legislators advance $205 billion budget including new tax on data centers , and Nathaniel Cline, Virginia Mercury , and Shannon Heckt, Virginia Mercury , and Charlotte Rene Woods, Virginia Mercury , and Samantha Willis, Virginia Mercury June 23, 2026
Government Amid statewide drought conditions, data centers face same restrictions as all water customers , and Shannon Heckt, Virginia Mercury June 23, 2026
General Assembly 2026 Virginia lawmakers are set to return to Richmond as budget deadline nears , and Markus Schmidt, Virginia Mercury June 1, 2026
Community Hanover Board of Supervisors denies controversial Mountain Road data center development near Henrico line , and WTVR CBS 6 May 28, 2026
Government Data center concerns draw crowd to Varina town hall meeting , and Suzanne Boothby, Special to the Citizen May 20, 2026
Government ‘The data centers are coming’ – but some Hanover and Henrico residents are fighting to stop them , and Liana Hardy, Government and Education Reporter May 12, 2026
General Assembly 2026 Here’s what House lawmakers want to require of data centers to keep their sales tax break , and Shannon Heckt, Virginia Mercury April 29, 2026
General Assembly 2026 Data center tax exemption changes still holding up Virginia budget , and Charlie Paullin, Virginia Mercury April 27, 2026
Community Hanover Planning Commission recommends approval for new data center project near Henrico line , and WTVR CBS 6 April 17, 2026
General Assembly 2026 Data center bills dominated this year’s General Assembly. Here’s what passed. , and Shannon Heckt, Virginia Mercury March 17, 2026
General Assembly 2026 Clock ticking on Virginia budget as Democrats clash over data center tax break , and Markus Schmidt, Virginia Mercury March 13, 2026
General Assembly 2026 General Assembly nixes bills that required data centers to get SCC certificate , and Shannon Heckt, Virginia Mercury March 7, 2026
General Assembly 2026 Workers, Speaker Scott criticize plan to axe data center tax exemption as budgets advance , and Shannon Heckt, Virginia Mercury February 28, 2026
Government Henrico’s Board of Zoning Appeals denies data center company’s appeal for Varina site , and Liana Hardy, Government and Education Reporter February 26, 2026
General Assembly 2026 Senators propose phasing out data center tax credit, House budget keeps it , and Shannon Heckt, Virginia Mercury February 24, 2026
Government DATA CENTER DETOUR: Inside Henrico County’s shifting mindset, one developer’s attempt to overcome it, and a community fighting back , and Liana Hardy, Government and Education Reporter February 24, 2026
General Assembly 2026 Data center tax reform passes Virginia House as other sales tax bills stall , and Alexa Barnes, Capital News Service February 20, 2026
General Assembly 2026 Legislature considers shifting power line costs from residents to data centers , and Shannon Heckt, Virginia Mercury February 19, 2026
General Assembly 2026 What’s alive and what’s dead at the Virginia General Assembly’s 2026 midway point , and Markus Schmidt, Virginia Mercury , and Shannon Heckt, Virginia Mercury , and Charlotte Rene Woods, Virginia Mercury , and Samantha Willis, Virginia Mercury February 19, 2026
General Assembly 2026 Lawmakers debate how to regulate data centers’ diesel backup generators , and Shannon Heckt, Virginia Mercury February 17, 2026
General Assembly 2026 Virginia House subcommittee punts on data center bill, but hopes to ‘continue the work’ , and Alexa Barnes, Capital News Service February 13, 2026
General Assembly 2026 Bill would put more energy costs on data centers, slash residential customers’ rates , and Shannon Heckt, Virginia Mercury February 11, 2026
Community Open house planned Feb. 4 about proposed Hanover data center complex just across Henrico line , and Citizen Staff Reports February 4, 2026
General Assembly 2026 Va. state senator seeks to keep future data centers away from residential areas , and Shannon Heckt, Virginia Mercury January 27, 2026
General Assembly 2026 These bills aim to regulate Virginia data center siting, generator use and SCC oversight , and Shannon Heckt, Virginia Mercury January 19, 2026
Government Hanover Planning Commission votes to deny rezoning request for data center development , and WTVR CBS 6 January 16, 2026
Government Residents plan to sound off on proposed data center development in Hanover , and WTVR CBS 6 January 15, 2026
General Assembly 2026 What to watch as Virginia’s 2026 General Assembly returns to Richmond , and Markus Schmidt, Virginia Mercury , and Nathaniel Cline, Virginia Mercury , and Shannon Heckt, Virginia Mercury , and Charlotte Rene Woods, Virginia Mercury January 12, 2026
General Assembly 2026 Environment and energy groups set priorities for 2026 legislative session , and Shannon Heckt, Virginia Mercury January 12, 2026
Government Virginia regulators weigh expanded use of data centers’ polluting generators , and Charlie Paullin, Virginia Mercury December 16, 2025
Community Why these Wyndham residents oppose proposed 400-acre data center campus near their community , and WTVR CBS 6 October 22, 2025
data centers Developer withdraws controversial data center proposal for Darbytown Road site in Varina , and Liana Hardy, Government and Education Reporter October 14, 2025
Business Youngkin touts Henrico firm powering Virginia’s data center boom , and Shannon Heckt, Virginia Mercury October 14, 2025
Business ABB announces $28.5-million expansion in Henrico to meet local power demand , and Liana Hardy, Government and Education Reporter September 17, 2025
Government Henrico Planning Commission recommends denial of Varina data center plan , and Joseph Maltby, Citizen Contributor September 16, 2025
Community Dominion proposes higher utility rates, new rate class for data centers , and Shannon Heckt, Virginia Mercury September 5, 2025
Government Varina residents push against new data center proposed on Darbytown Road , and Liana Hardy, Government and Education Reporter August 13, 2025
Government Henrico lawmakers address community concerns about energy, education and health care , and Gareth Woo, Special to the Citizen June 25, 2025