During a local town hall on Aug. 4 at The Science Museum of Virginia, Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D) addressed a room of her constituents who were ready to sound off. The program titled “No Denying Climate Change” started as a Q&A session and quickly turned into a discussion about data centers. Virginia is the data center hub of the world with more than 600 operational facilities and hundreds more planned.
Data centers contribute to climate change due to a heavy reliance on fossil fuel. On site there are also hundreds of diesel generators that leak pollutants such as arsenic and benzene, carcinogens that contribute to chronic illness. In addition, one individual data center can consume millions of gallons of water daily for server cooling. The result is a strain on natural resources and a spike in monthly utility bills.
Virginians are pissed…