Virginia budget negotiators have a deal for a new two-year spending plan on July 1 that resolves — at least temporarily — an increasingly bitter debate between Democratic leaders about how the state should tax and regulate data centers.
The budget compromise emerged late Friday with a proposal to impose a new version of an existing tax on energy consumption for data centers, which have become a big part of Virginia’s economy while rousing intense opposition in communities over the electricity and water they consume, as well as uneasiness with the artificial intelligence revolution they make possible. It also includes raises of 4% each year for teachers and 3.5% for state employees and state-supported local employees.
Read the full story in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
