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Policy & Regulation

Virginia Governor Signs Order Restraining Data Centers and Creating AI Task Force

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed Executive Order 22, banning nondisclosure agreements for data center projects, requiring noise and backup-generation reviews, and creating an AI task force.

AI News Feed · 2026-09-19 04:47

The AI task force is responsible for evaluating how the state government can address risks to Virginians such as workforce displacement and data privacy issues, and for determining how existing law can be applied to AI harms, The Verge reported.

Spanberger also unveiled a “Data Center Accountability Framework” for Virginia, according to The Verge. The framework lays out additional priorities including eliminating “by-right approval,” such as the kind that existed in Loudoun County for many years and allowed developers to build on certain land without additional approvals. It also calls for removing some state subsidies, establishing environmental guardrails, and safeguarding residents against increased energy prices associated with data centers.

The order is the latest signal that states are taking data center and AI policy into their own hands as Congress and President Donald Trump have been slow or resistant to sweeping changes, according to The Verge. Also on Friday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) issued an executive order convening experts to tackle AI safety issues. Earlier, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) both took executive action to rein in rapid data center development.

The Verge reported that a press release for the actions includes many statements from environmental groups praising Spanberger’s approach, but others reportedly wish she had gone further. The Piedmont Environment Council, a nonprofit that has advocated for a moratorium on new development to deal with existing concerns, said the order does not address current impacts. PEC president Chris Miller said in a statement: “It largely addresses standards on new data centers and does not deal with what’s already built and in the pipeline, along with the ongoing impacts piling up in communities now.”

Editor's Summary

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed Executive Order 22, which bars executive-branch nondisclosure agreements for data center projects, orders noise and backup-generation reviews, and creates an AI task force. She also introduced a Data Center Accountability Framework that targets by-right approvals, state subsidies, environmental safeguards, and energy costs. The actions add Virginia to a series of state-level moves on AI and data centers, while the Piedmont Environment Council said they leave existing and pipeline projects unaddressed.