In an announcement, Dan Diorio, the vice chairman of state coverage for the Knowledge Heart Coalition, a number one trade group, mentioned that the trade is constant to see “vital curiosity” from communities throughout the nation in internet hosting information facilities and that members are dedicated to “continued group engagement and stakeholder training,” in addition to “being accountable and responsive neighbors within the communities the place they function.”
“The US information heart trade offers vital advantages to native communities—creating tons of of 1000’s of high-wage jobs throughout the nation, offering billions of {dollars} in financial funding, and producing vital native, state, and federal tax income that helps fund faculties, transportation, public security, and different group priorities,” Diorio mentioned. “All informed, US information facilities supported 4.7 million jobs and contributed $162 billion in federal, state, and native taxes in 2023.”
The ocean change in public sentiment might not be sufficient to stem the market enthusiasm for information heart build-out. Whereas $93 billion in delayed and blocked investments is actually not a small quantity, it’s chump change in comparison with the huge inflow of money from huge tech firms that’s, analysts say, at the moment driving the US economic system. (Meta alone mentioned final week that it’s going to make investments $600 billion into AI infrastructure, together with information facilities, over the following three years.) And though some communities are efficiently pushing again in opposition to information facilities, these wins will be short-term. The ruling on the Prince William Digital Gateway, as an example, was stayed in October, permitting development to renew because the case strikes in the direction of trial subsequent yr.
Nonetheless, Thomas has huge plans for information heart reform in Virginia’s subsequent legislative session, together with reintroducing a reform invoice of his that handed the legislature in Might however was vetoed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
“I’ve Republicans and Democrats coming to me saying, ‘How can we assist with this concern? My constituents are speaking about it like they by no means have earlier than,’” he says. “Our coalition of knowledge heart reform-minded legislators has simply grown to a really giant quantity.”
Correction: 11/13/2025, 8:46 am EDT: A misstatement of how lengthy it has been since Democrats received statewide elections to statewide workplace has been corrected.
