Melting Ice, a Lack of Drivers, and Data Center Regulation
Cheers RVA!
Today we’ll see pockets of rain in the morning with potential afternoon sunshine and a high in the mid 50’s. The evening will be cold with a low of 26.
the juice:
Crews continue to repair power lines after tens of thousands of central Virginia residents lost electricity due to yesterday's icy storm.
More than 160k customers across the state lost power at some point yesterday (as well as internet service).
the pulp:
Richmond public schools switched from a two-hour delay to virtual learning on Wednesday, with Superintendent Jason Kamras citing severe staffing shortages as the reason the late change was necessary. Over 70 bus drivers reportedly called out on Wednesday.
Henrico and Hanover public schools are on a two-hour delay.
Style weekly dishes out the latest news on local dining, including an opening date for the Ugly Dumpling and vegan Valentine's Day options.
the dive:
Ivy Main from the Mercury offers commentary on how the current General Assembly is addressing data center sprawl in Virginia, noting of the more than two dozen bills proposed, only a handful made it past committee.
The commonwealth has more data centers than anywhere in the world, and there is growing concern the energy guzzlers will raise utility prices for residents.
There is also fear taxpayers are subsidizing the enterprise.
Main writes:
It seems like a reasonable ask for the tech industry to meet some efficiency requirements in exchange for billions of dollars in subsidies and the raiding of Virginia’s water and energy supplies. Indeed, the industry could have had it worse. Stuart had introduced a Senate bill to end the tax subsidies Virginia provides to data centers altogether. Alas, like several other more ambitious bills intended to bring accountability to the data center industry, it failed to even get a hearing in committee.
Read the full commentary here.
the vibe:
Have a heartwarming day RVA!
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