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As federal job losses mount, Fairfax leaders sound alarm
Is Fairfax County — long the economic engine of the Northern Virginia and the state economy — facing an “unemployment crisis?” Fairfax Board Chairman Jeff McKay and Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, think so. They are pointing the finger at President Donald Trump for the county’s rising unemployment rate. They are faulting Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a close Republican ally of the president, for not doing more to protect the state and region from mounting losses of federal government jobs and contracts since Trump took office in January.
Virginia is for … data centers? Residents are increasingly saying no
The two dozen or so nondescript gray, white and blue buildings lining Virginia State Route 625 could be large warehouses. But community activist Elena Schlossberg can identify them literally a mile away by their telltale rows of backup diesel generators. The buildings are data centers. ... All internet data goes through facilities like these: massive, sometimes multistoried warehouses filled with servers where every webpage and shred of data lives. Demand for these centers has skyrocketed in the last two years as artificial intelligence usage has gone mainstream. Virginia is a data hot spot. It has the world's highest concentration of data centers — nearly 600 facilities of varying sizes, including roughly 150 of the largest kind, known as hyperscale data centers. Not all residents are happy about that.
Finkelstein: If the attorney general won’t defend Virginia, who will?
It’s not every day that George Mason University lands on the front page of The Washington Post, in an op-ed by Virginia’s U.S. senators and in a joint investigation by The Chronicle of Higher Education and ProPublica. In 2006, when Mason stunned the nation as the “Cinderella” team in the NCAA Final Four, the attention was exhilarating. Today, the spotlight feels far more threatening. Since July 1, Mason has been notified of two federal civil rights investigations by the U.S. Department of Education — one concerning allegations of antisemitism and the other focused on diversity-related hiring practices.
Appalachian files $135M plan to improve grid reliability, service
Appalachian Power Company has filed a plan aimed at improving power grid reliability and resiliency with the Virginia State Corporation Commission. APCo is not requesting rate increases at this stage, according to a written statement. The first phase of includes improvements to the local distribution system that delivers energy to homes and businesses including building new substations, upgrading equipment ...
Appalachian Power has $135M plan to improve reliability
Appalachian Power plans to spend $135 million over three years on electric-grid upgrades to improve service reliability, which the utility said represents the first phase of a larger grid transformation process. The company, which has about 540,000 customers in Western Virginia, said Wednesday it is asking state regulators for permission to carry out the plan. Appalachian said it will submit a separate request late next year to charge customers for costs related to the project.
VA slows planned staff cuts, but concerns about services remain
Expected cuts to staff of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ultimately may not be as extensive as the agency first announced. While that’s some welcome news, downsizing at the federal agency serving millions of American veterans continues to be a pressing concern, especially in a military-centered region such as Hampton Roads. VA leaders insist that the ongoing reduction in force will not affect the care and services available to veterans. But the VA has a history of problems, including lengthy wait times at facilities across the country, and with a dramatic increase in the number of people utilizing its resources, it remains to be seen if the agency can deliver on its lofty promises.
Roanoke seeks share of Botetourt County’s Google data center tax revenues
Roanoke Mayor Joe Cobb has asked Botetourt County to give the city 15% of the annual tax revenue generated by the future Google data center and to replace the water that will be used by the project, citing Roanoke’s “historic contribution” to the regional water authority and fears that the data center’s water demands could have a negative impact on recreation at Carvins Cove. Botetourt County says it already planned to do all those things. The board of supervisors this month approved a plan for water replacement, and the county has paid $450,000 to the Western Virginia Water Authority to start that process.
King George supervisors vote down solar and livestock operation
The King George County Board of Supervisors denied a special exception permit to construct a utility scale solar facility and livestock operation following a public hearing Tuesday night. The board voted 4-1 to deny the permit to Open Road Renewables and Gibson Solar I, LLC, which sought to erect the solar panels on approximately 890 acres of private land made up of 48 parcels adjacent to Kings Highway at the intersection of Big Timber Road. The applicants were also requesting a determination that the solar facility is in accordance with the county’s comprehensive plan.
Prince William neighbors clear first hurdle in Digital Gateway lawsuit
Nearly two years ago, the Prince William Board of County Supervisors approved the Prince William Digital Gateway, one of the largest data center developments in the world. But even before the final vote, a group of nearby residents began challenging the project in court. Now, they are awaiting a judge's decision on their case, but her refusal to dismiss their lawsuit has fueled a cautious optimism that the residents might prevail.
Dominion substations approved to support Dulles-area data centers
Despite objections to one of the projects from nearby residents, the Fairfax County Planning Commission at its July 9 meeting approved Dominion Energy’s requests for two new electrical substations to support future data centers in the Dulles area. A 300-megawatt Towerview substation will be wedged between Sully Road (Route 28) and Park Center Road in the Floris neighborhood, just east of Dulles International Airport. Dominion will lease the site from the owner of the Dulles Gateway data center, which is being constructed immediately to its south.