This browser does not support the Video element.
Loudoun County Board of Supervisors to discuss proposed data center moratorium
The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors will discuss a proposed data center moratorium.
LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. - Loudoun County is home to a massive tech industry, but some local leaders are looking to slow that growth down.
What we know:
As development continues to move forward, the debate over how fast data centers should be built and advanced is heating up at the local and national levels.
On Tuesday, Loudoun County could take another step toward setting tougher restrictions on tech campuses. County leaders are expected to discuss a proposed pause on new data center development during Tuesday’s board meeting.
The push is being led by County Supervisor Juli Briskman.
Residents who live next to these facilities continue to raise concerns about the potential health impacts and the strain on the power grid.
While data centers have become a major source of revenue for Loudoun County, leaders have their own issues.
"They make up almost 50% of our revenue pie; that is so fiscally irresponsible," said Briskman. And it is the story as old as time. Big companies. Big corporations, they come in, they build their chemical plants, they build their manufacturing facilities and then they leave."
The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors will discuss the proposed moratorium during a meeting at 4 p.m. Tuesday.
Dig deeper:
The debate isn't only playing out in Virginia. Across the nation, leaders are also debating how quickly AI should advance and whether more federal guardrails are needed.
The CEO of Anthropic warning about the potential risks of moving too fast has also boosted the conversation.
Former President Barack Obama recently called for more federal regulations. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump pushed back, arguing that additional restrictions could hurt the U.S. in the global AI race.
"The Trump administration has stopped AI people from doing bad or potentially bad things like Anthropic, who is now pretending to be a perfect little angel," the president wrote in a Truth Social post.
"There is a sick conspiracy going on against AI and Data Centers, and the only one that is happy about it is China," he added.
The Source: Information in this article is from the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors and original FOX 5 DC reporting.