Video of the effects of data centers in Ashburn. Please watch this video after  reading this petition and signing. You can also share this petition to help get more signatures.

 Data centers are flocking to Loudoun County due to its close proximity to the District of Columbia and its immense fiber optic cable network. The growth of data centers has been a major contributor to this trend, but it is also causing significant problems for our community. As a resident of Ashburn VA, I have seen the rapid development and urbanization of our town in recent years. The current zoning laws for data centers in Ashburn are outdated and inadequate.

 The effects of data centers are Unchecked. They allow these facilities to be built in residential areas, which is causing real estate prices to skyrocket and traffic congestion to worsen. Additionally, the construction of these buildings is destroying natural habitats and disrupting wildlife. By allowing deforestation to make data center complexes,the government is promoting a genocide of our local animals. Ashburn used to be all forest . Now it is an area overrun by large data center complexes, now does that say something about corporate greed?

 

 

 

According to a report by the Loudoun County government, there are currently over 70 data centers operating in the county with more planned for construction. This number is expected to increase significantly over the next few years as demand for digital services continues to grow. Including Crypto currency mining, data storage, and that netflix movie you streamed last night. There was a major jump in usage  during the Coronavirus pandemic.

 

 

 

 To maintain the stream of requests for  data centers, data centers  become power hungry. A report done by  the Berkeley Lab states that data centers use over 73 billion KWH (kilo watts) of electricity. In a study done by The U.S. The Energy Information Administration states that one KWH releases  O.855 pounds of carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere. You do the math on how much carbon dioxide is used in order to power data centers? The results say that Data centers release as much carbon as the global aviation industry. A possible solution is to enforce carbon caps on data centers. If those laws are broken it could incur a fine. This Should dramatically reduce the amount of carbon dioxide released by data centers. They could get renewable energy sources to power the data centers, so data centers can stay.

The main players in the world of data centers are pretty notable companies from Silicon Valley. A few are Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon and  hundreds more. Most don't even see the impact of their ways because they are located miles away. It's time for our local government officials to take action and update zoning laws that regulate where data centers can be built. We need more stringent regulations that protect our neighborhoods from being overrun by these massive facilities.  Whether it is for capitalism or the environment, low government interference is ruining our local ecosystems. Their lackluster policies  are like a hamster wheel, it never gets anywhere. This needs to change! 

 Please join us in signing this petition, calling on Loudoun County officials to update their zoning laws regarding data center construction before it's too late!