Virginia SB 552

Department of Environmental Quality; siting of large data centers; site assessment; standards; civil penalties. Requires a locality, prior to any approval of a rezoning application, special exception, or special use permit for the siting or major expansion of a large data center, as those terms are defined in the bill, to conduct an initial public hearing regarding such siting or expansion and to require the applicant to perform a site assessment including certain specified information and to submit such site assessment to the locality and the Department of Environmental Quality (the Department). The bill directs the locality to hold a second public hearing upon such submission. The bill requires the Department to review such site assessment to ensure compliance with site assessment standards established by the Department, including standards for noise impacts, light pollution and illumination at night, water usage and source impacts, air emissions, traffic and other construction-phase impacts, and other impacts of proximity to residential units and schools. The bill permits the Department to issue a notice of any violation of its provisions to a large data center, to require corrective or supplemental mitigation actions as a condition of continued approval, and to assess civil penalties against or revoke any approval for a large data center that continues such violation for more than 60 days after receiving such notice. The bill authorizes the Office of the Attorney General to bring an action against a large data center for injunctive or other appropriate relief to enforce the bill's provisions. Certain provisions of the bill have a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027. In addition, the bill directs the Department to develop site assessment standards for large data centers by July 1, 2027.