LETTER: Like kids at a candy counter, our county is gorging on a data-center sugar high

August 23, 2022

The steady decay of our County is staggering.  It is not happening gradually, but by one gaping cavity after another. 

The imminent approval of Devlin Technology Park, a site formerly planned for housing that morphed into yet another power-sucking eyesore, will bring the total capacity of data centers operating or planned in Prince William County to nearly 50 million square feet.  That doubles Loudoun’s current capacity and exceeds the 48 million a recent study projected to be the maximum demand for the next twenty years. 

How much candy do the kids running your government plan to gorge on?  They’re hoping for an early Halloween.  The Supervisor’s timeline for the dreaded Prince William Digital Gateway could shove another 27.6 million square foot sugar-high down the County’s throat by early fall. 

This mindless candy crush is happening while the bellwether in Loudoun County is flashing warning signs.  Not only are they facing budget shortfalls from their over-dependence on data center revenue, but Dominion Power is saying over-development has run them out of electricity.  Meanwhile, Prince William’s Absence of Planning Office has not even estimated the electrical infrastructure required for all their new toys.  Batteries not included.

When is Prince William going to wake up?  The ground is shifting beneath our feet as your supervisors make a succession of irresponsible choices.  Pretty soon your electric bill and your tax bill will be subsidizing big tech behemoths who will be calling the shots.  Hold your elected officials accountable now, while they’re still running things.

Bill Wright

Gainesville

 

 

 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
  LETTER TO THE EDITOR   Anti-Digital Gateway Activist Endorses Deshundra Jefferson for Chair   Gainesville resident Bill Wright supports Jefferson-D for Chair of Prince William County Board of Supervisors   Posted Wednesday, April 12, 2023     ( Anti-Digital Gateway Activist Endorses Deshundra Jefferson for Chair - Bristow Beat ) Ask yourself: Are you better off than you were four years ago, or have your dreams been hijacked to serve the selfish aims of others? Prince William County is at a crossroads and the 2023 elections will decide whether we free ourselves from subservience to developer exploitation or slip permanently into the abyss.    A positive change awaits in the candidacy of Deshundra Jefferson for County Board Chair.  She vows to restore transparency and integrity to a government that has been quick to abuse your trust and give away the store to big tech predators who are gorging on your slice...
Read more
Image
  Subject: A Trojan Horse at the Gate On March 7 th , members of the Heritage Hunt Homeowner’s Association met with representatives from QTS to hear about their plans for developing the adjacent Prince William Digital Gateway.  They had previously met with representatives from Compass Datacenters on February 28 th .  The Heritage Hunt Board of Directors is justifiably wary of interlopers who have demonstrated they will employ any tactic that serves their interests.  The Heritage Hunt Board wrote: “Our previously stated concerns that the Digital Gateway is inappropriate for the Pageland area and that there are more suitable uses for that land has not changed.”  Citizens of Prince William County are still irate over the unethical practices employed by QTS and Compass in strong-arming their way into our area despite broad public opposition.  Both corporations negotiated plans secretly, under the cloak of non-disclosure agreements designed to inhibit publi...
Read more

Pay-for-Play on Full Display

Image
  Friends and Neighbors, In light of the shameless Devlin Technology Park betrayal ( UPDATED: Prince William Supervisors OK Devlin data centers despite residents' objections | News | princewilliamtimes.com ), how many of you have been wondering how public officials sworn to represent your interests can not only be indifferent to your welfare, but actually take the side of predatory corporations determined to exploit you? Peruse the multiple tabs of the spreadsheet at:   Donations Driving Data Centers - Google Sheets   and wonder no more.  Instead, wonder why any of us ever thought we might get the time-of-day from blatant political prostitutes masquerading as supervisors.  If you want their attention, you’re going to need a bigger suitcase full of cash.  If the obscene amount of money showered on our current crop of Democratic supervisors isn’t a corrupting influence, I don’t know what is.   Now prepare yourselves for the next public fleecin...
Read more