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Key developments
Virginia lawmakers lift data-center electricity tax
Virginia lawmakers approved a June 22 budget compromise that would raise the electricity consumption tax on data centers and other large users to $0.011 per kilowatt-hour, up from the $0.000875 rate the sector had been paying. The Richmond Times-Dispatch framed the move as a major policy shift in a state with 451 operating data centers using 3,583 megawatts, including QTS’s campus at White Oak Technology Park in Henrico County.
Why it matters
Virginia is the largest U.S. data-center market, so higher load-based taxes could influence how other states price grid impacts from hyperscale growth.
Sources & driving stories
RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH
Richmond Times-Dispatch coverageVIRGINIA MERCURY · Bob Lewis
Virginia Mercury coverageMissouri data-center bills fail to advance
STLPR reported that Missouri lawmakers passed 100 bills in the 2026 session, but none addressed data centers. Rep. Tricia Byrnes announced a September House Special Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs hearing, while HB 3362—the AI Infrastructure Grid Integrity and Water Resources Protection Act—failed to advance after a March hearing. The bill would have required large-load customers, including data centers, to pay for electricity service and grid upgrades, and would have imposed Department of Natural Resources permits for large water users.
Why it matters
Missouri remains open to large projects, including Amazon’s Montgomery County development, but statewide rules on grid costs, water use and disclosure are unresolved.
Sources & driving stories
STLPR
STLPR coverageMISSOURI INDEPENDENT · Jason Hancock
Missouri Independent coverageLocal moratorium wave spreads beyond major hubs
Local data-center restrictions continued to proliferate today. In Wisconsin, Brown County declined a countywide moratorium because it lacks countywide zoning authority, leaving Ashwaubenon’s 12-month pause, Hobart’s pending zoning draft and Wrightstown’s Aug. 11 referendum postponement to proceed locally. Oshkosh is moving toward drafting its own moratorium after Winnebago County adopted a 12-month pause, while Clay, New York scheduled a June 29 special meeting to vote on temporarily barring data-center permits.
Why it matters
Siting risk is increasingly being set town by town, complicating hyperscale developers’ ability to secure predictable land-use approvals even in power-rich regions.
Sources & driving stories
GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE · Jesse Lin
Green Bay Press-Gazette coverageWGBA NBC 26
WGBA NBC 26 coverageLOCALSYR
Localsyr coverageWorth noting
WORTH NOTING
Rural buildout and opposition mapped
The Daily Yonder’s new analysis found about 30 of 529 operating data centers in OMB-defined rural counties, 16 rural projects recently approved or under construction, more than 113 rural proposals and roughly 129 rural opposition groups.
WORTH NOTING
Extreme weather risk gains attention
CNBC reported that operators and insurers are seeing more severe-weather and heat-related risks, with First Street estimating 79% of global data-center capacity faces elevated acute hazards such as flooding, extreme winds and wildfires.
WORTH NOTING
Modular data centers target distribution power
PowerBank and Nodiac.ai announced a joint development agreement for 1-20 MW containerized data centers at sites with existing generation, land and permitting advantages, aiming to avoid large-load transmission delays.
Still unclear
OPEN QUESTION
Will large-load rules shift costs off households?
Virginia’s tax move and Missouri’s stalled HB 3362 both point to the unresolved question of whether data centers will pay directly for grid upgrades, water impacts and emergency reliability costs.
OPEN QUESTION
Which moratoriums become permanent zoning limits?
Many current pauses are framed as temporary study periods, but upcoming votes and ordinance drafts in places such as Wrightstown, Oshkosh and Clay will show whether they harden into durable siting barriers.