Virginia lawmaker pushes nationwide rules to rein in data centers

Northern Virginia Rep. Suhas Subramanyam unveiled a four-bill package to set national standards for data-center development, including making large users pay for their own power infrastructure with special electricity rates that would apply to existing and future facilities. The bills would keep data centers and power lines away from homes, schools, and parks, require decisions to consider neighbors and water use, and aim to better measure environmental impact beyond efficiency metrics. He also supports moratoriums to slow growth and urged DHS to explore burying transmission lines, arguing residents face higher utility bills, more noise, and pollution in Loudoun County’s data-center corridor.