Watchdog Slams Proposed Loudoun County Restrictions on Data Centers Ahead of Tomorrow’s Vote

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Kara Zupkus (224) 456-0257

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) slammed proposals by Loudoun County Supervisors Juli Briskman (D-Algonkian) and Laura TeKrony (D-Little River) to upend settled rules for data center projects at the Board’s September 1 meeting. Briskman and TeKrony are proposing to revoke the 2025 Data Center Grandfathering Resolution, which allowed pre-filed data center projects more than 500 feet from residences to proceed under a straightforward environmental review process. In addition, they will propose to pause data center and substation applications entirely at a September 15 Board meeting, despite the County Attorney advising that moratoria are not permitted in Virginia, and that a pause could not lawfully impact projects under review.

Ross Marchand, Executive Director of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, offered the following statement:

“Loudoun County’s data center projects have been a massive economic boon for county residents. Data centers are expected to generate nearly $1.3 billion in local tax revenue in 2027—close to half the county’s total tax revenue. Briskman and TeKrony’s troubling proposals threaten this progress and would send homeowners’ tax bills soaring. The Northern Virginia Technology Council estimates that making up for the shortfall in data center revenue would mean a 91 percent property tax increase—about $5,800 a year for the average homeowner. Stripping grandfathered projects of their ‘by-right’ protection would unfairly and retroactively rewrite rules, while a moratorium would target projects the county’s own guidance says it cannot lawfully halt. Loudoun leadership must protect residents and reject these unreasonable and legally dubious proposals.

“These proposals are based on claims the data simply doesn’t support. A recent TPA analysis shows that, in 2025, data center water usage made up a tiny 1.4 percent of Virginia’s overall consumption, with the remaining 98.6 percent going to residential, agricultural, and other commercial uses. One-quarter of Loudoun County’s data centers run on a reclaimed water system, using no drinking water at all. And according to the General Assembly’s Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, data centers are currently paying their fair share of energy costs. Virginia’s pricing rules require large users to bear most of the electricity costs directly attributable to them, helping protect Northern Virginia households from rising power bills.

“Scapegoating data center developers and tech companies undermines the rule of law and distracts from the real problems facing Loudoun County. On September 1, supervisors should let these projects keep delivering for residents.” 

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The Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to educating the public through the research, analysis, and dissemination of information on the government’s impact on the economy.