Thursday, June 18, 2026 • 4:00–6:00 p.m.
Check-in and light refreshments begin at 3:30 p.m.
Legacy Hall, 4301 New Town Ave, Williamsburg

Data centers are becoming one of the most important public policy issues in Virginia. They power the digital tools we use every day — from cloud storage to artificial intelligence — and they bring major investment, tax revenue, and technology-sector activity. A recent Northern Virginia Technology Council report describes Virginia as the world’s leading data infrastructure market and estimates that the industry generated nearly $40 billion in economic output in 2024–2025.

But the growth also raises serious civic questions about electricity demand, utility costs, water use, land development, noise, and local control over where large facilities should be built. Virginia’s Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission has warned that unconstrained demand for power in Virginia could double within the next 10 years, with data centers as the main driver. National and local communities are also raising concerns about water demand, noise from cooling systems and backup generators, and the effect of large data center campuses on nearby neighborhoods.

Sources: Northern Virginia Technology Council 2026 Data Center Report; JLARC 2024 Data Centers in Virginia Report; World Resources Institute, 2026.

Please join the League of Women Voters of Williamsburg Area for our Annual Meeting. A short business session will be followed by a timely panel discussion on the benefits, challenges, and civic questions raised by data center growth in Virginia.

Our panelists are Delegate Shelly Simonds, representing Virginia’s 70th House District, Megan Davis, Senior Policy Analyst at The Commonwealth Institute, and Louise White, the Deputy Chief Energy Officer within the Office of the Governor. League member Harry Chancey will moderate the discussion.

Your attendance helps strengthen our local League. Please register and join us so we can meet quorum, complete required Annual Meeting business, and learn together about one of the most important public policy issues facing Virginia communities.