Key facts
- Virginia Senator Lucas is leading a statewide townhall tour on data centers.
- She is targeting the state's sales and use tax exemption for data centers.
- The tax exemption for data centers amounts to approximately $2 billion annually.
- Lucas views the tax exemption as excessive for large corporations.
- She draws parallels between current political issues and the Jim Crow era.
Virginia Senator Lucas has declared that data centers are not an unstoppable force, stating "Enough is enough." She is actively campaigning against the proliferation of data centers in the state, tapping into widespread public concerns. Lucas is focusing her efforts on repealing Virginia's sales and use tax exemption for data centers, a policy she argues is too generous, amounting to approximately $2 billion annually for "the richest corporations on planet Earth."
Lucas has initiated a statewide townhall tour to address these concerns, noting that the issue resonates across diverse demographics, including Republicans, Democrats, independents, and people of all races and ages. She has drawn parallels between the current political climate and historical injustices, referencing the civil rights movement and Jim Crow laws. Lucas also alluded to past legal challenges she has faced, suggesting a pattern of repercussions for her significant actions.