The people of northern Virginia have been living with data centers for many years. The area is home to the world’s largest concentration of data centers. In a survey we conducted, we found northern Virginians support development restrictions that could make data centers more transparent and accountable to the public. But they care about some types of regulations more than others.
As public concerns about data centers’ electricity demand and effects on the environmental and surrounding communities have grown around the nation, organized opposition to their construction is also on the rise – not only around the country but also at the epicenter of data centers.
