Youngkin vetoes bill to require site assessments for data centers

Youngkin vetoes bill to require site assessments for data centers

A measure that would have required developers to study proposed data centers’ impacts on their surroundings has died, at least for this year.Gov. Glenn Youngkin, after a back-and-forth with the General Assembly, vetoed the bill late last week.Youngkin wrote in his veto on Friday that data center decisions belong in the localities where they are proposed. Sen. Adam Ebbin, D-Alexandria, said Monday that his legislation would have benefited those l…

Virginia Gov. Youngkin Vetoes Bipartisan Data Center Reform Bill

WASHINGTON, May 5, 2025 — Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) has vetoed a bipartisan bill that would have added new oversight requirements for proposed data centers in Virginia, rejecting calls for increased environmental and community protections.The legislation, HB 1601, introduced by Delegate Josh Thomas, D-Prince William, aimed to require developers to conduct impact assessments on water resources, farmland, historic sites, forests, and nearby neighbor…