Key facts
- Florida gubernatorial candidate Jolly visited Northern Virginia to study data center impacts.
- Jolly pledged to institute a one-year pause on hyperscale data centers in Florida if elected.
- Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger announced new guardrails for data centers, including a crackdown on on-site natural gas power plants.
- Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo signed an executive order to put new regulations on data centers seeking state tax breaks.
Florida gubernatorial candidate Jolly visited Northern Virginia to examine the impact of data centers on local communities, drawing parallels to potential concerns in Florida. Residents in Northern Virginia have expressed fears about the proximity of data centers to homes and schools, citing issues such as noise pollution and the use of gas turbines for power.
Greg Pirio, a resident living approximately 150 yards from a data center in Sterling, Virginia, shared his experiences with Jolly, noting the disruption caused by noise and advocating for data centers to be built away from residential areas and schools, with transparency in their development.
In parallel developments, Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger announced new regulations for data centers, specifically targeting on-site power plants that use natural gas. On the same day, Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo signed an executive order to implement new regulations for data centers seeking state tax incentives.
These actions come amid intensified nationwide calls for stricter AI regulation, following warnings from former employees of major AI companies about the potential risks of the technology. Jolly has pledged to implement a one-year moratorium on hyperscale data centers in Florida if elected, to study their impact, and has not ruled out a permanent ban.