Data Center Investment and Environmental Impact in Virginia
January 7, 2026
In Virginia, environmental advocacy group Food & Water Watch has highlighted the significant costs associated with data center development. According to their analysis, creating a single permanent data center job requires an investment of around $13 million. They note that while data centers make up only about 0.01 percent of U.S. employment, they consume approximately 4.4 percent of the nation's electricity. The group is now calling on Congress to halt all new data center construction projects to address these concerns.
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Author: Elissa Welle