President Donald Trump and Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger have at least one thing in common: a problem named state Sen. L. Louise Lucas. Lucas, the 82-year-old president pro tempore of the Virginia Senate, spearheaded Democrats’ effort this year to gerrymander four congressional seats held by Republicans, a more aggressive plan than some of her colleagues wanted — and one that, after the FBI raided her office, she blames for attracting Trump’s retribution. She also led a pu

A pivotal hearing before state regulators may shift billions in power costs to data center industry amid the grid expansion debate.

In Virginia, more than 300 data centers are waiting for power that would equal the output of 70 Lake Anna nuclear plants. It could take decades. For years, the number of data centers asking for connection dates from Dominion Energy had been a secret. But there were hints of trouble. In 2022, Dominion said its overworked transmission lines could not handle new arrivals to Virginia’s Data Center Alley and there would be a four-year delay for full power. In 2024, the utility ext

After a two-month impasse, the governor and the General Assembly reached a compromise agreement and passed a state budget. The hold-up was the sales tax exemption for data centers that’s costing Virginia nearly $2 billion per year. Unfortunately, the final compromise budget didn’t eliminate that $2 billion subsidy for the largest, wealthiest tech companies in the world, or do anything to recoup the billions in future lost tax revenue for Virginia. Instead, it enacts an “elect

Later this month, the General Assembly will meet to finally pass a new state budget. The stalemate has centered on the data center sales tax exemption, which amounts to nearly a $2 billion per year windfall for the tech industry. I commend the state leaders, particularly Sen. Louise Lucas, who recognize that the tax exemption has outlived its usefulness. It’s obvious this tax break prioritizes big business over much-needed programs for Virginia citizens. Legislators wanting t