I am from Prince William County and have seen what data centers can do to a community. As Warren County and Front Royal residents face potential ordinances that would allow data centers, I want to share my experience so residents can better understand how heartbreaking it is to watch your hometown be transformed into something unrecognizable.
Prince William County was enticed by the promise of monetary gain. As Paulo Coelho wrote in The Alchemist (1988), “Greed blinds us from recognizing the true value of what we already possess.”
Prince William County believed it could learn from Loudoun County’s mistakes and control the data center industry, a monster. I have heard those same sentiments echoed by our town and county officials…