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MATTER OF FACT. THE DEMAND FOR DATA CENTERS IS EXPLODING. THESE MASSIVE FACILITIES HOUSE OUR DIGITAL INFORMATION. WELL, DATA CENTERS EXIST ACROSS THE COUNTRY. A FEW STATES HAVE BECOME HUBS. TEXAS, CALIFORNIA, VIRGINIA BETWEEN 2023 AND 2024. THE AMOUNT OF MEGAWATTS OF STORAGE UNDER CONSTRUCTION IN PRIMARY MARKETS MORE THAN DOUBLED. DATA CENTERS ALSO REQUIRE A HUGE AMOUNT OF ENERGY TO OPERATE IN THE UNITED STATES. THEY’RE SLATED TO GO FROM ABOUT 4% OF ENERGY CONSUMPTION TO AS MUCH AS 12% BY 2028. OUR CORRESPONDENT DAN LIEBERMAN TRAVELED TO ASHBURN, VIRGINIA, WHICH HAS BECOME KNOWN AS THE DATA CENTER CAPITAL OF THE WORLD. WE HAVE THIS BEAUTIFUL VIEW. YOU COULD SEE THE HORSES. KRISTA GELLER AND HER HUSBAND PATRICK BOUGHT THEIR HOUSE IN ASHBURN, VIRGINIA, 12 YEARS AGO, EXCITED TO RAISE THEIR KIDS IN A BUCOLIC SETTING ABOUT 40 MILES FROM WASHINGTON, DC. WE WERE NAIVE TO BELIEVE THAT IT WOULD REMAIN A FARM, BUT THE LAND BEHIND THEIR HOME WAS REZONED TO INDUSTRIAL. OH MY GOD. FOR THE LAST SEVEN YEARS, THEY’VE SEEN THEIR FARM VIEW TRANSFORM AS CONSTRUCTION CREWS BUILD DATA CENTERS, MASSIVE FACILITIES THAT HOUSE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF COMPUTER SERVERS. IT MAKES ME FEEL SAD. IT DOESN’T FEEL LIKE A DATA CENTER SHOULD BE IN MY BACKYARD. VIRGINIA HAS BECOME AN EPICENTER FOR THE DATA CENTER. INDUSTRY, AS DEVELOPERS AND TECH COMPANIES LOOK TO POWER ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND CLOUD COMPUTING. SO INSIDE OF THIS IS JUST THOUSANDS OF COMPUTERS. THAT’S WHERE YOUR PHOTOS LIVE. THAT IS WHERE YOU’RE DOING GOOGLE DOCS OR MICROSOFT WORD PROCESSING. IT’S ALL INSIDE THESE BUILDINGS. BUDDY RIZER IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE DEPARTMENT FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN LOUDOUN COUNTY. HE ENCOURAGED DATA CENTER COMPANIES TO INVEST IN THE REGION. WE HAD ALL OF THE ASSETS NECESSARY FOR DATA CENTERS. YOU’RE LOOKING FOR POWER. YOU’RE LOOKING FOR FIBER, LAND, WORKFORCE AND CUSTOMERS. WE’LL GET ABOUT $1 BILLION IN TAX REVENUE FROM THE DATA CENTER INDUSTRY JUST THIS YEAR. IT’S ENABLED US TO BUILD WORLD CLASS SCHOOLS AND GREAT ROADS AND WONDERFUL PARKS AND COMMUNITY SERVICES THAT WE WOULDN’T HAVE OTHERWISE BEEN ABLE TO DO. IN TERMS OF THE CONCERNS THAT RESIDENTS HAVE, MANY OF THEM SAY THE DATA CENTERS ARE CREATING HAVOC IN THEIR COMMUNITY. DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT PERSPECTIVE? I UNDERSTAND THE PERSPECTIVE, BUT I THINK THAT WHEN YOU’RE LOOKING AT A GROWING COMMUNITY AND YOU LOOK AT THE NEED TO GROW THE COMMERCIAL TAX BASE, WE HAVE TO HAVE THOSE TRADE OFFS. WE HAVE A LOT OF NEW GENERATION COMING ON THE SYSTEM, AND NOW WE HAVE THESE NEW LARGE LOADS. ROB GRAMLICH, PRESIDENT OF GRID STRATEGIES, A CONSULTING FIRM FOCUSED ON ENERGY AND POWER SYSTEMS, SAYS ANOTHER CONCERN IS THE AMOUNT OF ENERGY IT TAKES TO POWER THESE FACILITIES. ONE DATA CENTER CAN ALREADY USE AS MUCH POWER AS 80,000 HOMES, AND A REPORT FOUND THAT THIS SURGE IN DEMAND WILL LIKELY INCREASE SYSTEM COSTS FOR ALL CUSTOMERS. RATES ARE GOING UP AND WE’RE IN A SITUATION WHERE ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT IS VERY EXPENSIVE. STATE REGULATORS, ECONOMIC REGULATORS AT THE PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSIONS KIND OF HAVE TO DECIDE, OKAY, WHO’S GOING TO EAT, HOW MUCH OF THIS COST AND HOW DO WE HOW DO WE SHARE IT AND SPREAD IT AROUND? I AM VERY CONCERNED THE DATA CENTERS WILL BE PASSING THEIR COST BURDENS ONTO RESIDENTS. DESHUNDRA JEFFERSON IS THE CHAIR AT LARGE OF THE PRINCE WILLIAM BOARD OF COUNTY SUPERVISORS. SHE WON ON A CAMPAIGN PROMISE TO PUT UP MORE GUARDRAILS AGAINST DATA CENTER DEVELOPMENT. THE PREVIOUS BOARD WAS APPROVING PROJECTS NEAR HOMES, NEAR SCHOOLS WHERE THE TRAFFIC COPS. WE’VE GOT TO TELL THEM THIS IS NOT A GOOD SPOT FOR YOU. A STATE GOVERNMENT REPORT SAYS THAT ONE THIRD OF DATA CENTERS ARE CURRENTLY LOCATED NEAR RESIDENTIAL AREAS, AND THAT FUTURE RESIDENTIAL IMPACTS ARE LIKELY. WE’RE SEEING PROBLEMS WITH NOISE IN SOME CASES, LIGHT POLLUTION SHINING 24 HOURS A DAY. AND THAT’S A BIG CONCERN FOR ME BECAUSE FOR HOMEOWNERS, YOUR LARGEST ASSET REALLY IS YOUR HOME. YOU’RE PUTTING EVERYTHING INTO IT. WE CANNOT DO ANYTHING THAT’S GOING TO DESTROY RESIDENTS QUALITY OF LIFE. ON THE FLIP SIDE, THERE’S TAX REVENUE. THERE’S JOBS, THERE’S CONSTRUCTION FOR A COUNTY LIKE YOURS, OUR DATA CENTERS DOING A LOT OF GOOD. THEY’RE DOING BETTER. DATA CENTERS ARE DOING BETTER BECAUSE WE’RE FORCING THEM TO DO BETTER. THEY CERTAINLY BRING TAX REVENUE. THERE ARE JOBS IN CONSTRUCTION, BUILDING THE DATA CENTERS AFTERWARDS. THERE ARE UNION JOBS FOR ELECTRICIANS WHO MAINTAIN THE EQUIPMENT. BUT WE HAVE TO BALANCE THAT. IT’S A NICE LOOKING BUILDING. I MEAN, IF YOU TAKE AWAY SOME OF THE SCALE, YOU WOULD THINK, WELL, THAT’S AN OFFICE BUILDING. AS DATA CENTERS COME TO MORE PLACES AROUND THE COUNTRY. BUDDY RIZER ENCOURAGES COMMUNITIES TO CAREFULLY ASSESS WHAT’S RIGHT FOR THEM. NOT EVERYWHERE NEEDS TO HAVE THE AMOUNT OF DATA CENTERS WE HAVE HERE IN LOUDOUN TO REALLY HAVE AN IMPACT ON YOUR COMMUNITY IN A POSITIVE WAY. SO DEFINE WHAT YOU WANT AND SET UP THOSE GUARDRAILS. EARLY GUARDRAILS THAT HOMEOWNERS LIKE KRISTA GELLER AND HER FAMILY WISH HAD BETTER PROTECTED THEM. YOU SPEND A LOT OF MONEY FOR A HOUSE. YOU SPEND A LOT OF MONEY TO LIVE OUT HERE OR TO LIVE WHERE YOU WANT TO LIVE. AND I THINK IT’S PART OF YOUR, YOU KNOW, YOUR SERENITY. IS SOMEBODY REALLY GOING TO WANT TO COME IN AND BUY IT WITH THIS AS THE