Wrighteous Indignation

  LETTER: When it comes to the county budget, guard your priorities and your pocketbook   March 16, 2023         ( LETTER: When it comes to the county budget, guard your priorities and your pocketbook | Opinion | princewilliamtimes.com )   On February 28, County Executive Christopher Shorter proposed a $1.61 billion budget   for fiscal   year 2024.   That represents an increase of $130 million over the 2023 budget of $1.48 billion.   There are ample opportunities for citizens to engage in the process, starting with a budget public hearing on March 21 and several intermediate steps before the budget is adopted on April 25.   It is a tall order for the average citizen to be conversant on all aspects of the proposed budget, but it is certainly possible for you to convey your priorities for how your tax dollars are spent.   Here are a few exampl...

  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...

  LETTER: Why would Virginia's environmental regulator allow data centers to rely on their dirty diesel generators? Good question.   March 9, 2023         DEQ's website states its mission “is to protect and enhance the environment of Virginia in order to promote the health and well-being of the Commonwealth's citizens, residents, and visitors in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.” Many local residents question how DEQ’s mission squares with the accommodation it is proposing to permit a single wealthy industry to hazard our health and well-being. My skepticism about DEQ’s blind eye toward data center growth goes back some time.   On Nov. 21, 2021, I asked regional director Tom Faha whether he intended to respond to a requested review of the Prince William Digital Gateway proposal. Despite the unprecedented magnitude of this project, Mr. Faha replied: “Such proposals are considered local zoning matters and outside of the agency’...

  LETTER: Running on Fumes   March 2, 2023   On November 17, 2020, the Prince William Board of County Supervisors authorized the creation of a Sustainability Commission to advise the county on how to reach its climate mitigation and resiliency goals.   On September 22, 2022 that Sustainability Commission unanimously passed resolution #22-007 which recommended several “fast-track” measures to put the county on a trajectory to achieve those goals.   Among their recommendations were: “Prohibit the building of new backup power generation using diesel and/or petroleum in favor of less carbon-intensive generation and encourage the conversion of existing diesel and/or petroleum backup systems to less carbon-intensive generation.” This recommendation proved prescient.   Unfortunately, it also proved futile.   Chair Ann Wheeler has not seen fit to place it on the BOCS agenda despite multiple inquiries.   Now the Virginia Department of Environ...