This morning, Politico published a new interview with Virginia’s powerful State Senator Louise Lucas, mostly talking about data centers, but also touching on the Dominion/NextEra proposed merger, Lucas’ relationship with Gov. Abigail Spanberger, etc. Check out a few highlights, below.
- “Well, I think if you listen to the voices of the people who are impacted by the data centers, you will see who got it right and who got it wrong. This is not a fight that I wanted to pick with the governor. It’s one that surfaced as a result of people saying that they thought that data centers ought to pay their fair share. Now, I want to make it crystal clear. I am not opposed to technology. We all can benefit from technology and I’m sure that there are some communities who want data centers, but they want the data centers like most of us to pay their fair share of taxes like everybody else. So, I don’t want to say that the governor was wrong and and have that be my definition of what happened. All you got to do is just read the room. If you go to these listening tools, you will see what the public is saying. I think right now we’re at about 72 74% of people in Virginia want to see data centers pay their fair share of taxes somewhat a mortorium. But what I am fighting for as chair of Senate Finance and Appropriation is for the data centers to pay their fair share because I think the sales and use tax exemption has gotten way beyond what we expected when it started 16 years ago.“
- “Absolutely. I intend to continue to fight. As a matter of fact, I’ve already done six listening tours different places in the Commonwealth and I have five more scheduled to attend. And it’s because I’m being asked by people in those localities to come and hold a listening tour so that they can be on record as being either want a moratorum or wanting no more data centers at all or just wanting the data centers to pay their sales and use tax exemptions – not be granted those sales and use tax exemptions. Yes, I will continue to fight. And again, I want to say this is not a fight that I wanted to have with the governor, but it’s a fight that I have to take on because I am always in the trenches with the public.” [Q: “And yeah, you’ve been unusually critical of Governor Spamberger, though, in personal terms. I mean, you’ve called her a quote ‘data center diva’. So, I’m wondering like why has this become sort of personal? And who do you think you’re sort of reaching with that kind of rhetoric, you know, as far as trying to persuade people?”] “Well, it wasn’t intended to be offensive. You know, because you’ve seen what I do on Twitter X and Facebook and and maybe some of the other media platforms. And it was all not intended to be derogatory, but just something I threw in the mix so it would help with the fight. I had no idea would take wings or legs like it did. But it is what it is. Everybody will be okay after a while.” [Q: “But I mean, do you feel like this kind of communication is something that you think more Democrats need to emulate? I mean, it does sort of seem like the kind of rhetoric, you know, we we know that President Trump uses very aggressive sort of personal. He loves nicknames. Like are you trying to, is that purposeful?”] “Uh no. You know, I think what I’ve done for whatever reason it it it got a lot of push, but I don’t think that that’s where I’m where I’m going to go for you and because I’ve sat with governors for years with uh budgets and bills and so there’s a way to communicate, but I just thought that was a little bit cute and so maybe was too cute by half.”
- “No, I do not think that’s going to happen. And let me say first of all…let’s understand Virginia is the data [center] capital of the world. We have currently more data centers than any other locality in the United States of America. So if they were if they were equally dispersed among the other states, then maybe a lot of people in Virginia would not be screaming as loudly as they are. But I mean already we have more data centers than anywhere else. But I do also think that think that the data centers want to stay in Virginia because we have the land, we have the water, and we have the best infrastructure. And so the threat that they’re going to leave Virginia, I think it’s just a a hoax. I don’t think they’re going to leave Virginia. They just don’t want to be regulated the way we’re talking about.” [Q: “But do you want like additional data center development in Virginia or it should just it should just sort of stop where it is?”] “No. I think…there are some localities that want data centers, but I think we need to put all of the environmental protections there. I think we need to make sure that they’re paying their fair share of taxes. I think that the sales tax, sales and use tax exemption has gone far enough. We started with $1.4 million a year, what we were giving them in in in sales and use tax exemptions to $1.9 billion now. So, it’s grown from $1.4 million to $2 billion. Come on, give me a break. That is just much too much for the richest richest richest richest corporation on planet Earth. No, enough is enough.”
- “I do not believe I do not believe that to be the case. Just like I said, I do not want to draw this fight with the governor. I am just in strong deference with her on this issue and uh hopefully we’ll be able to work together well on other things in the future. But on this one, I’m unmovable.” [Q: “But so you do so you do think a moratorum would be appropriate both in Virginia and nationwide just to be clear.”] “Well, I’m not sure until after, you know, we have a meeting coming up with the…joint subcommittee on tax policy, and whatever that committee comes up with those recommendations is what we’ll all have to go forward with. And so I think our first meeting is set for August 19th in Richmond and I would like to see people turn out and let their voices be heard. But whatever recommendations come out of that joint subcommittee on tax policy is what we will go forward with in the 2027 session of the Virginia General Assembly.” [Q: “But you really think like even coming out of that I mean a moratorium would be realistic in Virginia. I mean New York doesn’t have many data centers, right? It’s sort of a different conversation…”] “Correct. Well, I don’t know exactly what the other members would be interested in in seeing come out of the the the joint subcommittee, but I know there are six members from the House and six members from the Senate, and I am one of the six from the Senate, and together we will come up with the recommendations that we’ll move forward with in 2027.” [Q: “So, it’s a possibility still.”] “It’s a possibility still. All depends on what those 12 come up come up with.”
- “Well, I’ve had my hands full with data center for sure and I know that there are other people who are carrying the water for that issue [the proposed Dominion-NextEra merger] and so I don’t want to jump ahead of them. I think I’ll let them continue to to roll forward with their movement and I’ll roll forward with mine. I think in 2027 we might come out with something that will be pleasing to all Virginians. I’m hoping that at least that’s the case.” [Q: “Are you just generally going in with a fairly skeptical eye on a merger of this scope that we’ve never seen before or do you trust what they’re saying?”] “I think everybody I talked to of course is skeptical. You know, people are skeptical about monopolies anyway. And so…most people I talk to are skeptical. So, we’ll just wait and see.” [Q: “And I mean, do you do you envision a scenario? I mean, I when I talked to the governor about this, she mentioned, you know, she’s going to weigh the the merger based on standards around, you know, well, how would it affect electricity rates, how would it affect jobs, how how it would affect clean energy generation and and there could be, you know, do you see a scenario where you could actually reject the merger where Virginia can do that, you know, legislature and the governor if those standards aren’t met?”] “I think legislatively anything is possible. We’ll never know until we delve into it. And just like I said, I don’t want to be in a fight with the governor on every energy issue that surfaces. And so I’m gonna right now stay with the data centers because I really have my hands full. And we’ll see what happens with those who are pushing the movement for the NextEra.”
