The state’s data center boom is now the subtext to increasingly intense politicking over longtime Virginia issues — climate change, electricity rates and the powers of local governments.
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Gov. Glenn Youngkin spoke Aug. 27 at Brightpoint Community College in Chesterfield County during Google’s announcement of a multibillion-dollar investment in Virginia, including a site in Chesterfield.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin talks about data centers after Google's announcement of a multi-billion dollar investment in Virginia Aug. 27 at Brightpoint Community College.
House Speaker Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, presides over the Virginia House of Delegates on Oct. 27 during a special legislative session. Scott will be the first House speaker to serve multiple terms since Speaker Bill Howell, R-Stafford, left office in 2018.
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Data center photos
CleanArc Data Centers CEO Jim Trout speaks at a data center groundbreaking ceremony in Caroline County.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin and executives of CleanArc Data Centers broke ground Nov. 20 on the first $3 billion phase of an $11 billion data center campus in Caroline County.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin stands with CleanArc Data Centers CEO Jim Trout.
Arnold Rosenberg speaks at a Goochland Planning Commission meeting focused on a proposed Technology Overlay District with regulations for data centers on September 18, 2025, in Goochland County.
Breckenridge Daughtery attends a public Goochland Planning Commission meeting focused on a proposed Technology Overlay District with regulations for data centers on September 18 in Goochland County.
Spotsylvania Solar Energy Center on September 11, 2025, in Spotsylvania, Va.
Spotsylvania Solar Energy Center on September 11, 2025, in Spotsylvania County.
A data center is shown under construction in August in Loudoun County.
Ted Lewis lives near the True North data center in Loudoun County and leads the Goose Creek Association, outside of Leesburg. It is concerned about the effects of data center development along the scenic creek.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin speaks during Google’s announcement of a multi-billion dollar investment in Virginia on August 27, 2025, at Brightpoint Community College in Chesterfield, Va.
Ben Keethler is a resident at Loudoun Meadows, a housing community with two new data centers nearby.
Alphabet and Google President and CIO Ruth Porat and Gov. Glenn Youngkin meet faculty at Brightpoint Community College in Chesterfield, Va.
Alphabet and Google President and CIO Ruth Porat shakes hands with Gov. Glenn Youngkin during Google’s announcement of a multi-billion dollar investment in Virginia on August 27, 2025, at Brightpoint Community College in Chesterfield, Va.
A data center campus is under construction near Fredericksburg in this September 2025 photo.
Brightpoint Community College Professor Nikki Hicks, Alphabet and Google President and CIO Ruth Porat, Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Brightpoint Community College President Bill Fiege look at the technology used in Brightpoint classes on August 27, 2025, at Brightpoint Community College in Chesterfield County.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Alphabet and Google President and CIO Ruth Porat sit side-by-side during Google’s announcement of a multi-billion dollar investment in Virginia on August 27, 2025, at Brightpoint Community College in Chesterfield County.
Data centers line Loudoun County Parkway on August 5 in Loudoun County.
Google’s logo was seen on a podium during the company’s announcement of a multi-billion-dollar investment in Virginia on Wednesday at Brightpoint Community College.
Brightpoint Community College President Bill Fiege speaks during Google’s announcement of a multi-billion dollar investment in Virginia on August 27, 2025, at Brightpoint Community College in Chesterfield, Va.
Alphabet and Google President and CIO Ruth Porat and Gov. Glenn Youngkin meet faculty at Brightpoint Community College in Chesterfield, Va.
An infographic about data centers is displayed during Google’s announcement of a multi-billion dollar investment in Virginia on August 27, 2025, at Brightpoint Community College in Chesterfield, Va.
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