Lawmakers in Virginia from both parties are urging a temporary pause on new data center approvals while state officials assess impacts on groundwater and the power grid. A Department of Environmental Quality report warns groundwater is under 'serious and immediate strain' in part because data centers use large amounts of water for cooling. A July transmission outage in Ashburn that pushed some centers onto backup power heightened concerns about grid stability. Policymakers are weighing an executive pause or a special legislative session and considering targeted rules such as low-water cooling requirements and mandated grid upgrades.
Virginia Lawmakers Urge Pause on Data Center Approvals Amid Water and Grid Strain
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Virginia's position as a national hub for data centers is drawing new scrutiny as bipartisan calls grow for a temporary halt on approvals while state officials assess stress on electricity and water systems.
Bipartisan Push For A Pause
According to reporting by News4, lawmakers from both parties say the state should stop approving additional data center projects until regulators and utilities can fully evaluate local impacts. Republican State Senator Glen Sturtevant urged the governor to suspend new approvals immediately, saying, 'The question is no longer simply how to regulate more data centers. It is whether Virginia can accommodate data center development at all.' Democratic Senate President Pro Tem Louise Lucas called a statewide moratorium 'a serious proposal that deserves serious consideration.' News4 also reported that Senators Richard Stuart (R) and Russet Perry (D) have asked the governor to convene a special legislative session focused on groundwater and grid resilience.
Groundwater And Grid Concerns
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality warned that the state's groundwater levels are under 'serious and immediate strain,' noting that data centers require large volumes of water for cooling. Residents, schools and businesses depend on stable water supplies and reliable electricity even as energy-intensive facilities continue to grow in parts of the state.
Concerns intensified after a July incident in Ashburn involving an outage on a high-voltage transmission line. News4 reported that some data centers switched to backup power, a move that sent ripple effects across the grid and was linked to brief flickering in homes from Chicago to Boston to Miami. Experts told News4 that, in extreme circumstances, events like that could raise the risk of broader regional outages.
Economic Trade-Offs And Policy Options
Critics of a blanket moratorium warn that it could chill investment, slow job creation and hinder digital services. 'Moratoriums on data centers send a signal that an area is closed for business, both for data centers and for other significant economic development projects,' the Data Center Coalition told News4.
Lawmakers are urging quick action from state leadership—either an executive pause on approvals or a targeted special session—to allow time to develop stronger rules. Possible policy responses under consideration include:
- Requiring lower-water cooling technologies and other water-saving measures;
- Mandating commitments from developers to fund necessary grid upgrades before construction;
- Stricter siting rules to prevent projects in areas with fragile water or power systems;
- Prioritizing approvals for projects that demonstrate they will not worsen local shortages.
Across party lines, there is a shared sense that the current trajectory is unsustainable. 'Senator Sturtevant is right that the status quo cannot continue,' Lucas told News4. As Virginia weighs a pause, policymakers face the challenge of balancing community and environmental protections with the economic benefits that data center investment brings.
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