Prince William County Planning Commission Public Hearing on Digital Gateway CPA September 14th 1 County Complex Court, Woodbridge, VA 22192 7 pm
Plan to attend this important public hearing or submit comments to the Planning Commission and the Board of County Supervisors.
The Great Falls Group and environmental coalition partners submitted a letter to the Prince William County Planning Commission and PWC Sustainability Commission following its July 20 Work Session on the Prince William Digital Gateway Comprehensive Plan Amendment.
We urge the commissioners to support the request to undertake an Electrical Infrastructure Needs Study, which would analyze the energy demand for data center development. Ratepayers bear the long-term costs in the form of higher rates for large grid-related infrastructure projects. The planning commission should undertake an analysis of how this will impact electricity costs to Prince William ratepayers. Data center development is increasing carbon emissions, which will move Prince William County farther from its goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from all sources.
There are many reasons to be concerned about this level of development and the sprawl it will bring. Below are resources for your information.
Noise Pollution Caused by Prince William County Data Centers
In an article from Data Center Dynamics July 19, 2022, Prince William residents complain of “catastrophic noise” from data centers. The Homeowner’s association Roundtable of Prince William County and the Great Oak community HOA from Manassas have issued a strongly worded complaint to the Board of County Supervisors, objecting to “extreme environmental noise” which continues 24x7 with no regulation in place.
The local groups say the industrial noise, from air conditioning units on top of the data center buildings, is “inundating their neighborhood without reprieve” They want swift action to relieve the situation, pointing out that in Chandler, Arizona complaints about data center noise have dated back to 2018 and have recently caused Chandler to decide not to build any more data centers.
The Board of County Supervisors does not have a countywide noise ordinance and has not agreed to add language to the Digital Gateway CPA that addresses noise from the cooling process needed for the servers. Residents and advocates have made it clear that there are high environmental risks associated with this level of development. Along with the noise that will impact residents and visitors to the natural and cultural resources nearby, the effects of sprawl, impervious surfaces and degradation of our community's source of drinking water are just a few.
Letter to Fairfax County Planning Commission about Parking Reimagined
Fairfax County is embarking on an initiative called Parking Reimagined to review the Zoning Ordinance which regulates off-street parking and loading. The Parking Reimagined project will comprehensively review the parking requirements to modernize how the County regulates parking and determine methods to right-size these requirements, as may be appropriate.
In the letter to the Fairfax County Planning Commission the Great Falls Group points out that constructing parking is expensive. In 2021, the average cost of building one parking space in a structured unit in the Washington, D.C. metro region was $24,544. Parking lots increase impervious surfaces and contribute to heat islands They are a significant factor in Fairfax’s challenges with storm water management and flooding and lack of affordable housing options. By subsidizing driving, the provision of “free” parking discourages and often makes more dangerous the use of healthier more environmentally sustainable transportation options like walking, bicycling, scootering, and riding the bus or train. If expensive and environmentally polluting impervious surface is turned into something that enhances the quality of life, with additional green/open space for Fairfax County residents, then that is reimagining parking!
Policies successfully structured to reduce reliance on automobiles and efforts to reduce the amount of impervious surface can help deliver a host of climate benefits and help the county meet its own emissions goals under its Community Wide Energy and Climate Action Plan (CECAP), which sets ambitious sector and emissions goals. Changes to the county’s ordinance should be in service to the CECAP goals as well. It's known that greenscaping reduces carbon in the air. It's important for the county to develop opportunities for reducing impervious surfaces. The Great Falls Group believes Parking Reimagined provides an excellent policy opportunity to link the reductions in parking to reductions in impervious surfaces. This would meet several stated goals to mitigate the effects of climate change, including reducing average summer temperatures in these hot zones, which are only going to increase if not addressed. The letter lists a host of environmental benefits gained from redesigning parking.
WHERE: George Mason University, 4400 University Drive., Lot C, Fairfax, VA
DETAILS: Fairfax’s Drive Electric Day is an opportunity to see electric cars and speak with owners. Learn from owner experience what it is like to own and drive an electric car. Some cars will be available for test drives. Share your experience and/or show your EV. Join us for a fun-filled day! RSVP
SPONSORS: Sierra Club Virginia Chapter, Sierra Club/Potomac River Group, Sierra Club/Great Falls Group, and 350 Fairfax
Rally to #STOPMVP and Manchin’s Dirty Deal: No Sacrifice Zones
WHEN: Thursday, September 8; 5 pm
WHERE: Taft Memorial Carillon, 101 New Jersey Ave. NW, Washington DC (Intersection of New Jersey and Constitution Ave.)
DETAILS : Frontline communities in Appalachia--and across the country--are being used as bargaining chips in a Manchin/Schumer side deal aimed at ramping up fossil fuel projects. This is unacceptable. But the resistance is organized and ready to bring the fight to DC! Join frontline leaders in a rally outside the Capitol to demand that U.S. Senators and Representatives stop Manchin’s dirty deal. If passed, this would gut bedrock environmental protections, threaten tribal authority, endanger public health, fast-track fossil fuel projects, cut public input, and push approval for Manchin’s pet project, the Mountain Valley Pipeline. We can’t allow communities to be sacrificed to more oil and gas drilling, pipelines, petrochemical buildout, and climate disasters. Make our voices clear: 'We are not your sacrifice zones! #StopMVP and Manchin’s dirty deal!' REGISTER
DETAILS : The General Services Administration (GSA) is publishing a notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) to seek public feedback pertaining to the use of plastic consumed in both packaging and shipping, as well as other single-use plastics for which the agency contracts. Please submit your comment before September 6th to urge the federal government to reduce its use of single-use plastics. At the notice site, please click “Submit a Formal Comment” at the top right area to open the comment page. It only takes a few minutes to fill the box. Here is a starting text suggested by Food & Water Action:
“Plastics are a danger to human health and climate. Single-use plastics--including water bottles, shipping materials, packaging and utensils--make up most plastic waste. They end up in landfills, incinerators, and our waterways. Like all plastics, they break down into microplastics, where they move much more easily and stealthily--ending up in our food and eventually our bodies. In order to set a strong precedent for tackling the plastics problem, I urge the federal government to eliminate purchasing single-use plastics.”
SPONSOR: Sierra Club/Potomac River Group
Power for the People Virginia
Recent posts from Ivy Main's blog on energy-related matters in Virginia.
Ivy Main, Renewable Energy Chair for Sierra Club's Virginia Chapter
From Ivy: Dear readers: Many of you know that although I write independently of any organization, I also volunteer for the Sierra Club and serve on its legislative committee. Today, the Sierra Club’s Virginia Chapter urgently needs funds to support its legislative and political work towards a clean energy transition. So I’m passing the hat and asking you to make a donation to our “10 Wild Weekends” fundraising campaign. Thanks!
Virginia Chapter
SC Virginia Chapter Is in Search of Two New Chairs!
Are you looking for a way to contribute to the Sierra Club's Virginia Chapter but aren’t sure what to do? Our Virginia Chapter is looking for two new leaders: theMembership Chair and the Fundraising Chair.
The Chapter Membership Chair works with the membership chairs of the individual groups to share ideas and plan strategies for recruiting new members. The Fundraising Chair works with staff and other volunteers to help plan and coordinate fundraising campaigns and events.
These are two very important positions in the leadership of our chapter that we would like to fill as soon as possible. If you might be interested in volunteering as Membership or Fundraising Chair, please contact either Ralph Grove (ralph.grove@gmail.com) or Kate West (kate.west@sierraclub.org). These positions are open to all Sierra Club members.
