Climate
Privacy
Bob Dylan
Drones
Data Centers
AI Governance
2026 Maine Senate Race
Key developments
Virginia budget targets data center electricity use
Virginia lawmakers approved a June 22 budget compromise that would raise the electricity consumption tax for data centers and other major power users to $0.011 per kilowatt-hour, up from $0.000875. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports the change lands amid Virginia’s data-center boom, with 451 operating facilities using 3,583 megawatts. A Washington Post opinion piece notes lawmakers debated ending sales and use tax exemptions before shifting toward taxing electricity use.
Why it matters
Virginia is the largest U.S. data-center market, so a power-consumption tax could influence siting economics and become a model for other states.
Sources & driving stories
RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH
Richmond Times-Dispatch coverageWASHINGTON POST
Washington Post coverageLocal data center moratoriums keep multiplying
Brown County, Wisconsin declined to impose a countywide AI data-center moratorium, leaving regulation to local governments; Ashwaubenon adopted a 12-month pause for projects over 100,000 square feet or 20 megawatts, Hobart is drafting a similar rule, and Wrightstown postponed action until an Aug. 11 referendum. In Ohio, Axios reports Cleveland’s council utilities committee advanced a three-month moratorium on new standalone data centers, with a full council vote possible July 15. In Clay, New York, officials scheduled a June 29 vote on a temporary moratorium despite having no formal applications, citing rising AI-driven demand.
Why it matters
The spread of local pauses and zoning reviews is raising execution risk for developers even in markets actively courting AI infrastructure.
Sources & driving stories
GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE · Jesse Lin
Green Bay Press-Gazette coverageAXIOS · Sam Allard
Axios coverageLOCALSYR
Localsyr coverageGoogle’s Project Skye permit notice opens
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Norfolk District issued a June 29 public notice for Google LLC’s Project Skye Data Center in Chesterfield County, Virginia. The proposal seeks a Clean Water Act Section 404 permit to build five data centers, three substations, parking, roads, utilities and stormwater facilities. Proposed impacts include 17.99 acres of palustrine forested wetlands, 8,115 linear feet of stream channel, conversion of 7.23 wetland acres, and mitigation through 43.31 wetland credits and 9,213 stream credits; comments run through July 28.
Why it matters
The filing shows another large Virginia campus moving into federal environmental review as state and local scrutiny of data-center impacts intensifies.
Sources & driving stories
U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS NORFOLK DISTRICT
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Norfolk District coverageWorth noting
WORTH NOTING
Denver campus water estimate disclosed
The Colorado Sun reports CoreSite’s proposed north Denver campus could use up to 805,000 gallons of water per day if all three buildings are built, a notable figure given Denver’s Stage 1 drought and yearlong moratorium on new data centers.
WORTH NOTING
NTT flags AI capacity crunch
NTT DATA, NTT Global Data Centers and ThoughtLab released a report projecting 23% to 30% annual data-center demand growth in likely scenarios through 2030, while identifying power, grid connections, transformers, switchgear, land and skilled labor as constraints.
WORTH NOTING
TeraWulf gains bullish Citi initiation
Citi initiated TeraWulf with a Buy and High-Risk rating and a $36 target, citing power-advantaged AI data-center growth and forecasting 14.5 GW of annual data-center demand in 2026 and about 20 GW per year from 2027 through 2030.
Still unclear
OPEN QUESTION
Will taxes and moratoriums redirect siting?
Virginia’s consumption-tax shift and the spread of local pauses could push developers toward jurisdictions with clearer rules, lower water risk and pre-secured power capacity.
OPEN QUESTION
Who absorbs infrastructure demand risk?
Projects measured in hundreds of megawatts to 1 gigawatt raise unresolved questions about upfront deposits, take-or-pay commitments, grid upgrades and ratepayer exposure if demand forecasts miss.