Virginia Governor Restricts Data Center Growth, Launches AI Task Force
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger has signed an order limiting data center development and creating a new AI task force. The move adds Virginia to a growing list of US states acting on their own to regulate the booming data center and AI industry.
Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, has signed Executive Order 22, giving local communities greater influence over data center development and slowing down project approvals in a state widely regarded as the data center capital of the world.
The order bars executive branch officials from signing non-disclosure agreements tied to data center projects, calls for expedited noise regulations, and requires a review of the backup power generators these facilities rely on.
New task force targets AI risks
The order also sets up an AI task force charged with assessing risks facing Virginians, including job displacement and data privacy concerns, and examining how current laws could be applied to harms caused by artificial intelligence.
The move is the latest sign that US states are stepping in to regulate data centers and AI on their own, as Congress and President Donald Trump have moved slowly or resisted broader action. The same day, California Governor Gavin Newsom issued an order convening experts to address AI safety, following earlier executive actions by New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Texas Governor Greg Abbott aimed at reining in rapid data center growth.
Accountability framework draws mixed reaction
Spanberger also unveiled a new Data Center Accountability Framework, which calls for scrapping "by-right" approvals — the kind long used in Loudoun County that let developers build on certain land without extra review — cutting some state subsidies, setting environmental standards, and shielding residents from rising energy prices linked to data centers.
Environmental groups largely praised the announcement, though some said it didn't go far enough. Piedmont Environmental Council president Chris Miller said the framework mainly addresses new data centers and fails to tackle facilities already built or in the pipeline, along with the impacts already accumulating in affected communities.
