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With the debate over data centers raging, the Politics Hour on WAMU yesterday talked to Phyllis Randall, Chair of the county (Loudoun) which is in many ways the epicenter of the debate, as it’s the “data center capital of the world.” See below for audio from Chair Randall’s interview, as well as highlights from what she had to say. Overall, I think it was a fascinating interview, very informative, which is important given the massive amount of misinformation floating around out there. Check it out. (Side note: I’ve been very critical of Kojo Nnamdi and Tom Sherwood in the past, such as for their inexcusable softball/friendy interview with far-right-extremist John Reid in the 2025 Lt. Governor campaign, but they did an excellent job on this interview – kudos.)
P.S. On the point about vitriol, even death threats, it should go without saying that that type of behavior should be COMPLETELY unacceptable in a democracy. Also, blaming people today for stuff that was decided decades ago, when today’s officials weren’t even in office, is absurd, as is any 100% one-sided take to this complex issue.
Phyllis Randall reviews the history of data centers in Loudoun County:
- “Well back in 1996, a company called AOL located in Loudoun County. Following that, another company called MCI WorldCom located in Loudoun County, and there were defense companies as well that located in our county. And they grew there, and they created jobs. And many years later, when the the what was called the tech bubble burst, those companies left Loudoun County, but they left fiber in the ground. And as Loudoun County built out, we built with fiber in the ground. And so fiber in the ground, next to a water source and just next to a lot of land meant it was easy for data centers to come and the cottage industry grow up around data centers. So we’ve had data centers in Loudoun County…this industry started growing a quarter of a century ago. So it’s a very long story that didn’t happen in the past three years, five years. It’s been going on for years. And in the year 2000, the then zoning administrator…zoned the data centers could be what’s called by-right, which means they never come to the board of supervisors for approval. They are administrative approval. And the big mistake was that he said that they they they determined that data centers could go by-right, wherever offices could go. Of course, they didn’t know what data centers were. They didn’t know how intrusive they would be. They didn’t realize that they’re not offices, that they are industrial sites. But when they said they can go wherever offices, can be placed by-right, that meant that they would be placed close to homes. And so that’s how we got here with data centers being in places that they very certainly should not be placed because of administrators’ opinion,”
How many data centers are there in Loudoun County?
- “We have 253 data centers in Loudoun County. There are 17…that were granted the grandfathering by-right designation. And so that’s how many more could could come. Now whether or not they will come, we don’t know because they have many, many years before they would get powered up. But, there are 17 that could come.”
Chair Randall talks about her plans for reelection next year:
- “I am [running for reelection]… I will run…I will wait till after the midterms to do a more formal announcement because it’s really important to me that we get past the midterms and and handle and make sure the Senate and House get some checks on the current president.”
Chair Randall responds to a question about the vitriol, including death threats, around the data center debate:
- “Death threats are threatening language. And there was a lawmaker I forgot what state he was in that after he did for a data center, somebody came and shot up his home. We’ve had staff members who have received death threats. You know, listen. This is a very tough issue, and I understand the passion in this issue. And quite frankly, in my first term in office, we start putting some standards in place for data centers, especially as it related to water in the environment. So I didn’t just start, talking about these issues now. I started doing this in my first term. Having said that, the the tone and tenor of the conversation, nationwide is getting to be at a kind of a point where people are actually going to be in danger. And we should have all the policy conversations and all the criticisms are not criticisms. But there’s a line that you cross when you start threatening people.
Chair Randall on the advantages of data center revenues:
- “Data center revenue is about 47% of our overall revenues, about $1.3 billion. We have the lowest real property tax in the entire Metro DC area, and we have lowered the, personal property tax year over year over year. Data centers actually pay personal property, like your car tax, but your car tax in Loudoun County is much lower than what data centers pay on their personal property. And the lowest car tax, tax, I believe, in the area. There may be one county that might be slightly lower, but very, very low. In addition, you know, if you come to Loudoun County, you will see beautiful parks. You will see recreation centers. You will see a fully funded school system with a 97.6% graduation rate. And so there is no doubt that the revenue of data centers has been a boon to the county while at the same time, the placement of data centers and all that comes with the environmental issues, have been an issue. It is a more nuanced issue than most people would like to talk about.”
How many jobs to data centers create in Loudoun County?
- “So data centers create jobs within the data centers in which in which in kind of the cottage industry around the data centers. The estimation is somewhere between 12,015 jobs have been created in Loudoun County, and those are some of them are high paying tech jobs. Many of them are jobs, for, the construction industry. So IBEW and pipefitters and, HVAC and all those types of jobs. And so, they do create jobs and and, you know about 12 to 15,000 in our county.”
What could have been done differently in the past?
- “Well, again, we’ve been doing this in Loudoun County for twenty six years, a quarter of a century. So if we could go back twenty six years, the staff and supervisors twenty six years ago obviously would have made some different decisions. The most important decision would have been placement. You don’t place them near homes. You you just don’t. And so that zoning administrator decision that said that they could be placed by-right where you place offices would have been the first thing that they should have changed. Secondly, of course, how water is collected. Most data centers now, because we’ve put this in place, have, relooped, recycled, reclaimed water. And so they don’t use the water that they used to use. But starting off, some of those determinations could have been made earlier. How much electricity do they use? What is the air quality? All those things could have been discussed that they know then what they know what we know now. So I often say that Loudoun County, in this way, can be a cautionary tale. So it is not a question of will data centers come to this nation. They will. It’s a question of how and where and what people should know. And one thing Loudoun County could and should do is export all of our knowledge that we have learned over the past twenty six years about data center development in an area.”
Should there be a national moratorium on data centers?
- “I would probably say that states should be able to decide what they do, because what might be good for Arizona may not be good for Arkansas. And so, you know, I’m I’m really careful about national standards in general. I think that, there’s national, lessons to be taught, and Loudoun could certainly and should certainly, lead in in those national lessons. And, again, those lessons are about the environment. Those lessons are about water. Those lessons are about electricity. Those lessons are about placement. Those lessons are about air, and we certainly should, do some. I think all of us it’s incumbent of all of us. I know I say all the time to my my kids when they were little, when you know better, you do better. We know a lot now, and we would have done some things differently at the time when we first started building out data centers in Loudoun County twenty six years ago.”
Chair Randall responds to a caller question about building data centers vs. other alternatives:
- “Well, Anne, that’s a interesting statement. And and thank you for calling in, and I’m glad you live in the most marvelous county in the country. You know, for many, many years, up until about two years ago, what we would hear from constituents is, please don’t build homes. Build data centers instead because they didn’t want homes there. There. And so this discussion has literally flipped, over the past two years. I have I’m a huge advocate of building attainable homes, and, there is there are places in Loudoun County where I have said to, that could have had a by-right data center. And I’ve said, how about we don’t do data centers here? How about we do attainable housing? And so people need places to live. We we will build out our infrastructure before we build, attainable homes or homes at all in Loudoun County, but I will I will always say I am a proponent of, having places for people to live once you have the, infrastructure in place. But Anne’s voice is a voice we heard for many years that said, we’d rather have data centers than than than houses.”
Chair Randall on a possible moratorium on data centers in Virginia:
- “So a moratorium is, Virginia, of of of course, is a is a Dillon Rule state. And so there’s nothing that we can do unless the, unless the general assembly tells us to do that. And that question that went to the general assembly last year, Delegate Irene Shin put a moratorium forward, and it didn’t even make it out of the out of the General Assembly subcommittee. I think that there are, you know, there are discussions we we could have on a moratorium that that that I would say are the same discussions. If you have a moratorium, what’s the point? Well, the point is to say, what’s the environmental consequences? What are the electricity consequences? What are all the other consequences? So a moratorium is not just for moratorium sake. It’s to figure out, what is what’s what’s going well and what needs to be addressed.”
Question on “several Loudoun County lawmakers” who “took aim” at a previously approved data center’s application.
- “Actually, it wasn’t seven several Loudoun County lawmakers. It was two of the nine people who sit on our on our board, and what they asked for is to overturn the rights of the data centers that were that were grandfathered. In other words, those data centers, according to our, advice, legal advice, were so far along in their development that to to say they couldn’t be built could have very well ended us up in court. And if we were to go to court and lose, we would both lose possibly millions of dollars, and then they could still build anyway…It was Laura TeKrony from the Little River District and Julie Briskman from the Algonkian District.”
Question on Julie Briskman being taken off her committee and running against Randall.
- “Well, you have to ask her why she’s running against me, and I will say that I also feel very strongly about data centers. That’s why I have worked really hard to put the regulations in place that we have put both in everything from design standards to water usage, you know, I put those things in place. You have to ask her why she’s running, but I will say, you know, I think primaries are good for elected officials, they keep us sharp. So let’s go…let’s go, let’s do it.”
Question on the “AI revolution.”
- “…it is important that we interact with them in a way that, if we want to have better environmental standards, less water, if we want them to give back to the community and through our nonprofits and things like that, then a relationship with them is important to have. And so, you know, we can, if we wanted to, members of the boards can demonize them. I, of course, you know, I don’t think anyone would say that any county with 253 data centers needs to have more data centers. We don’t. We have a very, a very large share of data centers in Loudoun County. But as they are here, I do wanna say that how do we interact with them now and to simply demonize them and and to demonize the workers who both build them and work in them is is is not effective, is not helpful, and is very divisive.”
Caller question on Loudoun Economic Development Director Buddy Rizer reportedly having a “side gig as a consultant for a data center industry.”
- “So Buddy Rizer, I don’t know that what you said is correct…The Wall Street Journal reported that. I do know that Buddy Reiser has advised other places and other counties in just the things I’m saying, how to do data centers, you know, what what we have learned in Loudoun County and how to do it differently and more environmentally sensitive and those types of things. And he is helping that conversation, and he should help with that conversation because he has a lot of knowledge. Buddy Rizer has never voted for a data center one time, and the attacks on Mr. Rizer, as an employee of our county and the threats to him, including death threats, are completely inappropriate. And I will say that every single time. I will defend our county employees. I flat just will. And as far as the lawsuits, down zoning is not the same thing as data center. Data centers, have a you know, if we were sued by one data center and and lost, you know, now we’re paying the data center, and they can build it anyway. We have never given a data center a single penny to be in Loudoun County. They don’t get incentives, tax breaks. And I don’t ever want to give a data center money, and and then let them build anyway. So I’m going to follow the legal advice that has been given to the board and that will come back to the board on…October 6.”
