VA Senator Asks Governor for Data Center Moratorium by Order

Virginia state Sen. Glen Sturtevant is asking Gov. Abigail Spanberger to do by executive order what the legislature would not do by statute: stop approving new data centers statewide. With the 2026 General Assembly session over, an executive order is now the only route left this year for a policy that a House bill already tried and failed to deliver.

Why it matters

Sturtevant wants Spanberger to issue an order halting data center approval and development “to the fullest extent permitted by law.” Senate President Pro Tem Louise Lucas said “the status quo cannot continue” and called the idea worthy of serious consideration, though she has not endorsed it outright. Separately, Sens. Richard Stuart and Russet Perry sent their own letter asking Spanberger for a special session on groundwater supply, a related but distinct request that is not a moratorium ask. For anyone underwriting a Virginia site, the risk calculus just changed: a governor’s order can move faster and get undone faster than a bill, and it swaps a predictable committee calendar for a single executive’s discretion.

The numbers

HB1515, patroned by Del. Irene Shin, would have barred localities from granting final approval on new data center rezonings, special exceptions, permits, site plans or development plans until the earlier of full interconnection-queue clearance or July 1, 2028. The House Rules Committee continued it to 2027 on Feb. 6 rather than advancing or killing it, leaving the legislative route open but stalled. That failure is the backdrop for Sturtevant’s pivot to the governor. It also follows Prince William County’s unanimous rejection of a 1,940-acre rezoning, covered in our reporting on the county-level backlash across the national data center market.

What’s next

Spanberger’s office has not responded publicly to Sturtevant’s request, and the Data Center Coalition is already pushing back, warning a moratorium would signal the state is closed for business. A legislative subcommittee studying data center impacts is due to report recommendations to the General Assembly in December, which will shape whether HB1515 or something like it returns in 2027. Until then, any order Spanberger issues, or declines to issue, is the nearer-term variable for Virginia siting timelines.