News
A recent review on the impact of data centers in Virginia has disappointed David Duncan, the president of the American Battlefield Trust.
By: Brad Randall, Broadband Communities
The findings of a Virginia legislative audit and review commission that investigated the impacts of data centers in Virginia have come under fire.
The report in question, conducted by Virginia’s Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, found that data centers have impacted Virginia’s economy positively, according to the JLARC website.
In addition, the report stated that initial construction of data centers is the source of most benefits they provide economically.
“Most construction spending likely remains in the state economy because much of it goes to Virginia-based businesses providing construction materials and services,” the report’s summary stated.
Meanwhile, the president of the American Battlefield Trust, a 501(c)(3) non-profit committed to preserving America’s historical battlegrounds, said the report “falls short in addressing the mounting threat posed by the proliferation of data centers near invaluable historic resources across Virginia.”
Those comments, from David Duncan, were published on the American Battlefield Trust’s website in December, on the same day the JLARC report was released.
Duncan urged state legislators in Virginia to do more to protect the state’s historic landscapes.
“Time and again, we have seen the disastrous effect data centers and similar large-scale developments have on historic resources in Virginia and around the country, and there are currently few legal protections in place to stop this impact,” Duncan said.
Ongoing legal actions
The American Battlefield Trust has previously backed up their words with legal attempts to block data center construction from going forward in areas they consider sensitive.
In December, the organization announced they had appealed an October demurrer ruling in relation to their efforts to block the construction of the Prince William Digital Gateway.
According to the Trust, that data center would be located adjacent to Manassas National Battlefield Park.
Chap Peterson, an attorney representing the Trust, has been outspoken on the matter.
Previously, he said there is “no question that the Prince William County Board of Supervisors violated state law.”
“I am confident the Court of Appeals will recognize the merit of our case and order the board to reconsider its shortsighted decision,” Peterson stated, according to an update published by the non-profit in December.
In total, the American Battlefield Trust has preserved 58,000 acres of land associated with the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the Civil War, the organization’s website states.
Sites preserved by the Trust are located in 25 states and the organization boasts 350,000 members and supporters, a summary of the non-profit’s operations reported.
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