Discussion · House of Representatives
Suhas Subramanyam Democrat
“My district has too many data centers. They bring high power bills, worse air, and large power lines near homes and schools. New power lines should be buried underground, and the data companies should pay for them instead of the taxpayers.”
“Madam Speaker, at this point my community in northern Virginia has so many data centers that if it were a country, it would be fourth in all countries in the number of data centers. There are actually many more, actually hundreds more, potentially, on the way. Virginians, our community, have been paying the price for years now. The price is transmission lines going through homes, schools, and historic sites. The price is worse air quality, and the price is higher utility bills. Now people are fighting back, and we are winning. That is because last week, the people of Prince William County spoke out and pushed back about a massive, new data center complex spanning almost 750 football fields. That project was unanimously rejected, but the fight is not over. New transmission lines are being proposed to support the data center industry in Prince William County. Projects like the Nokesville-Bristow transmission line are threatening homes, small farms, and livelihoods. There is a better way. One way is to underground those lines, and the data centers need to pay for it, not the community. This will protect our farmland, homes, and schools. Also, it sets the tone that data centers and private companies cannot demand new energy infrastructure and then pass along the costs to the community, because our communities have had enough of high utility costs. They have had enough of transmission lines next to schools and homes, and enough of the noise, pollution, and loss of green space. If we work together, we can push companies to underground these lines and pay their fair share. In the meantime, I join my community in saying: Enough is enough.”
Madam Speaker, at this point my community in northern Virginia has so many data centers that if it were a country, it would be fourth in all countries in the number of data centers. There are actually many more, actually hundreds more, potentially, on the way. Virginians, our community, have been paying the price for years now. The price is transmission lines going through homes, schools, and historic sites. The price is worse air quality, and the price is higher utility bills. Now people are fighting back, and we are winning. That is because last week, the people of Prince William County spoke out and pushed back about a massive, new data center complex spanning almost 750 football fields. That project was unanimously rejected, but the fight is not over. New transmission lines are being proposed to support the data center industry in Prince William County. Projects like the Nokesville-Bristow transmission line are threatening homes, small farms, and livelihoods. There is a better way. One way is to underground those lines, and the data centers need to pay for it, not the community. This will protect our farmland, homes, and schools. Also, it sets the tone that data centers and private companies cannot demand new energy infrastructure and then pass along the costs to the community, because our communities have had enough of high utility costs. They have had enough of transmission lines next to schools and homes, and enough of the noise, pollution, and loss of green space. If we work together, we can push companies to underground these lines and pay their fair share. In the meantime, I join my community in saying: Enough is enough.