Scope
The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission study "Data Centers in Virginia" (dated 9 December 2024; filed as report RD206) reviews the economic, fiscal, energy, grid, rate, water and local impacts of the data center industry and makes recommendations to the General Assembly, including authorizing localities to require water-use estimates and sound modeling for proposed data centers. It is a legislative study; it imposes no requirement.
- Geographic scope
- Virginia
- Jurisdiction
- State
- Authority type
- Legislature
- Issuing authority
- Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission
Dates
- Adopted
- No adoption day is recorded
- Effective
- Not a binding measure
- Scheduled expiration
- None scheduled
- Ended
- Not recorded as ended
- Completion condition
- None stated
- Source document
- 9 December 2024
- Last checked
- 23 September 2026 (earlier than tracker date 5 October 2026; not an automatic status change)
Summary
JLARC’s 2024 study of the data center industry in Virginia, directed by the Commission in 2023, found that data centers bring economic benefits mostly during construction, that unconstrained data center demand could double Virginia’s power demand within ten years, and that growing demand is likely to raise other customers’ costs. It recommends legislative and regulatory steps, such as letting localities require water-use estimates and sound modeling for proposed data centers. It is informational and is not itself a binding requirement.
What this does not establish
- The document date is the date in the report title as filed with the General Assembly (Reports to the General Assembly RD206); JLARC’s own list shows only December 2024.
- Which recommendations were later enacted is not established by this record.
Unresolved questions
None recorded.
Relationships
Supersession means a later instrument replaces the earlier legal effect. Repeal links identify the repeal instrument and the measure it ends. A later implementation or related letter is not treated as a replacement unless the record says so.
- Related, not a replacement Data center retail sales-tax exemption (In effect)
Sources
https://jlarc.virginia.gov/landing-2024-data-centers-in-virginia.asp