Virginia governor creates an AI task force and moves to restrain data centers

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) ordered the state government to take steps that could empower local communities to have a larger say in data center development and slow down approvals in a state that is already home to the data center capital of the world.

Executive Order 22 bans executive branch officials from signing non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) for data center projects, requires expedited noise regulations, and a review of backup-generation operations used by data centers, among other requirements. The order also establishes an AI task force responsible for evaluating how the state government can address risks to Virginians like workforce displacement and data privacy issues, and determining how existing law can be applied to AI harms.