AGP Executive Report

Data Centers & Power Costs: Virginia and New Jersey are moving to make data centers pay more directly for electricity use and grid upgrades, with Virginia’s new electricity consumption tax starting July 1 and New Jersey’s “fair share” law creating a new ratepayer class. Local Governance: Virginia Beach is weighing a 12-month pause on new data center applications as communities push back over water, land, and power impacts. Energy & Industry: A SLAC study found copper melts more gradually than models predicted at extreme heat, reshaping material choices for future fusion power components. Defense & Shipbuilding: Congress boosted the Navy’s sixth-gen fighter funding from about $74M to nearly $1B, while separate coverage highlights ongoing Navy maintenance and carrier-related pressures. Public Health & Food Supply: Oma’s Pride recalled frozen raw dog food sold in 11 states, including Virginia, after salmonella contamination was detected. Virginia Economy & Daily Life: GasBuddy reports show one Virginia Beach station hit a week-low premium price of $4.31 per gallon (week ending Aug. 8). STEM & Workforce Pipeline: Gov. Abigail Spanberger announced winners of Virginia’s STEAM-H essay contest, awarding scholarships to high school girls pursuing STEAM-H careers.

Shipbuilding & Defense: HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding says it has completed successful acceptance sea trials for the USS John F. Kennedy (CVN 79), moving the carrier toward preliminary acceptance and underway testing. Transportation Safety: VDOT is asking Virginians to weigh in on its five-year Strategic Highway Safety Plan via a statewide survey, with special focus on pedestrian safety and safer crossings. Food Security: A new piece spotlights how food pantries are stepping in as hunger persists, including on college campuses where food insecurity remains high. Higher Ed Public Safety: Virginia State University students reported a chaotic dorm-area shooting Aug. 15 that injured five people and triggered a campus lockdown and curfew. Local Leadership: Frederick County promoted John Bishop to planning director, emphasizing community outreach and continuity on the Comprehensive Plan update. Energy & Fuel Prices: GasBuddy reports diesel and E85 price snapshots across Virginia counties and cities, showing continued volatility but some easing from earlier spring highs. Data Centers & Jobs: Coverage highlights how the AI data center boom is driving six-figure trade and construction roles—while also intensifying local fights over power, water, and permitting. Business & Retail: Chili’s posts strong same-store sales growth, while discount chains keep expanding as consumers chase value.

Energy & Fuel Prices: GasBuddy reports the lowest E15 price in Waynesboro city at $3.18/gal (week ending Aug. 8), while Danville city’s regular hit $3.25 and Williamsburg’s E85 bottomed at $3.89—another sign prices are easing but still volatile. Consumer Safety: Virginia Beach logged seven scam reports for the week ending Aug. 8, with fake invoice/supplier bills the most common type and losses totaling $484.99. Virginia Jobs & Industry: Roanoke lands Ringana’s $85M U.S. headquarters, adding 400+ jobs in advanced manufacturing and life sciences, with the city’s transport network a key selling point. Tech & Housing: A George Mason study finds homes near data centers in Virginia’s “data center alley” are selling for more than comparable homes farther away, pointing to jobs and infrastructure spillovers. Environment & Materials: Virginia Tech researchers convert hard-to-recycle PVC into engine-oil components, aiming to cut landfill waste while creating higher-value industrial output. Public Works & Safety: Richmond’s planning commission approved a $50M road-safety push in Shockoe Valley, including improvements around Oliver Hill Way. Health: UVA School of Medicine and partners report hepatitis C cures are highly effective, but treatment access still lags—only about one in three patients get treated within a year of diagnosis.

Roanoke Jobs Boost: Austrian skincare and nutrition firm Ringana will open a U.S. headquarters in Roanoke with an $85M investment and 400+ jobs, citing the city’s transport and workforce pipeline. Data Center Reality Check: A George Mason study suggests Virginia homes near data centers (“data center alley”) may sell for more, tying the effect to jobs and infrastructure—not just proximity. Local Governance: Virginia Beach is weighing a 12-month pause on new data center permitting to develop rules on energy use, noise, land use, and water. Energy & Industry: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang warns AI data centers face hard power limits, while the broader buildout is pushing utilities and grids. Public Health: Virginia hemp businesses lost a bid to delay new THC limits in federal court, with the change set to take effect Saturday. Bay & Water Quality: Maryland says it hit nearly all 2025 Chesapeake Bay pollution goals, but some watermen dispute whether targets match what they see on the water. Workforce & Logistics: Volvo Group’s cab logistics overhaul shows how supplier flow problems can ripple through Virginia manufacturing schedules. Transportation: VDOT schedules a major 20-hour closure of an I-64 east on-ramp in Norfolk for Hampton Roads Express Lanes work.

Navy Shipbuilding: Trump orders the U.S. Navy to revert future Ford-class carriers to steam-powered aircraft catapults, starting with USS Doris Miller (CVN-81), a major reversal that could reshape engineering, costs, and schedules. Defense Contracting: Marine Hydraulics International won a $119.37M contract to maintain and modernize USS San Antonio in Norfolk, with work running into 2028. Healthcare & Business Risk: Sentara and Anthem face a contract standoff that could disrupt care for about 380,000 Virginians if talks miss a year-end deadline. Transportation Infrastructure: VDOT will shift traffic overnight on the I-64 east ramp to I-464 north (exit 291A) in Chesapeake as part of interchange improvements, with the project targeting summer 2027 completion. Local Economy & Housing: Santa Monica’s Virginia Avenue Apartments rehab is projected to run $2.4M over budget after mold and termite issues proved worse than expected. Energy Efficiency: Kraken Bond highlights how leaky windows and doors can drive major household heat loss, pushing weatherization products ahead of fall. Water Tech: A Henrico teen built AquaRisk, letting Virginians estimate drinking-water risk by address. Data Centers Watch: East Lansing extended its data center moratorium for six months while it drafts local rules.

Virginia Manufacturing & Power Infrastructure: Dexco (IMX Power) expanded U.S. busbar manufacturing with a new fluidized-bed epoxy insulation line, targeting Virginia’s data center and utility demand with components rated up to 38 kV. Aerospace Research: NASA opened a new Flight Dynamics Research Facility at Langley in Hampton to support aircraft, drone, and spacecraft testing. Food Safety: Lidl recalled Vitasia Asian Style Wok Spice Mix (one lot) after Salmonella was found in internal testing; no illnesses reported. Trade & Agriculture Security: Dulles CBP seized about 440 pounds of unprocessed cotton in traveler baggage after finding seeds, citing USDA permit and treatment requirements. Local Land Development: Fauquier County’s approved 8-lot subdivision in The Plains area is set for auction after major planning and utility approvals were completed. Housing Compliance Tech: DEVAL Solutions launched PHASE, a centralized platform automating HUD Project Based Section 8 MOR compliance. Data Center Politics: Frederick County moved forward on an ordinance process to remove data centers as permitted/conditional uses, while residents elsewhere pressed for transparency and tighter rules. Energy Prices: GasBuddy reported the lowest regular gas in York County at $3.57/gal (week ending Aug. 8), with other counties seeing similarly localized dips. Defense & Shipbuilding: Trump ordered Navy carrier redesigns to bring back steam catapults, reshaping U.S. shipbuilding priorities.

Higher Ed Costs: Virginia colleges and universities are charging more this year, with average 2026-27 tuition and fees for in-state undergrads rising to about $15,356 at four-year schools (plus room and board). Data Center Pressure: Residents in Warren County are pushing back on rapid data center expansion, demanding more transparency on water use, power demand, transmission upgrades, and local decision-making. Grid Reliability: PJM is reviewing how data centers and crypto facilities connect to the grid after a July 22 outage in northern Virginia knocked nearly 4GW offline, with officials saying the facilities should not have disconnected. Local Permitting Fight: Prince William County residents are challenging a Microsoft data center public notice that offers limited details on the project’s scope. Workforce & Industry: Meta and the North America Building Trades Unions signed a partnership to build a skilled-trades pipeline for AI data center construction nationwide. Road Work: VDOT plans a 72-hour single-lane closure on East Little Creek Road in Norfolk starting Aug. 17 for paving and concrete work. STEM Spotlight: A Highland Springs student won the Virginia Council on Women’s STEAM-H essay contest, one of 10 statewide winners. Public Safety Tech: Shenandoah County Sheriff Tim Carter proposed a real-time crime center and AI tools for deputies, but supervisors took no action. Scam Watch: Portsmouth tied for 14th in Virginia for July scam reports, logging nine.

Data Center Water Fight: A new report says data centers in Virginia are using over 2 billion gallons of water a year, with Amazon, Microsoft, and Google among the biggest users; Prince William County says peak demand can spike sharply, while some counties push closed-loop cooling that shifts the burden to electricity. Grid Reliability Pressure: PJM is weighing new rules after a 3.8 GW Northern Virginia load drop forced data centers to switch to onsite generation during a transmission disturbance, raising questions about how these loads behave in outages. Local Power Costs: Dominion’s fuel-cost case is before the SCC, with potential bill impacts for Virginia households depending on whether deferred costs are recovered via a fuel factor or securitization. Defense & Manufacturing: Defense Maritime Solutions plans a $30M+ Chesapeake expansion to manufacture and test Wärtsilä medium-speed marine engines, aiming to reduce overseas dependence and create 32 jobs. Space Industry: Rocket Lab unveiled its containerized GHOST launch system, and NASA’s Wallops Industry Day highlighted growing aerospace jobs and lunar launch ambitions. Food Safety: Lidl US recalled Vitasia Asian Style Wok Spice Mix due to possible Salmonella contamination. Hemp Crackdown: A federal judge is deciding whether to pause Virginia’s new THC limits that could make much of the hemp inventory illegal starting Aug. 15. Business Real Estate: A rare set of three attached commercial buildings in downtown Leesburg is headed to auction on Sept. 11.

Data Center Policy Clash: Virginia’s State Corporation Commission sided with the Spanberger administration, ordering data centers to cover dedicated transmission infrastructure costs—another step in the fight over who pays for grid upgrades. Defense Manufacturing: Defense Maritime Solutions will invest $30M+ in Chesapeake to expand shipboard energy/propulsion production, creating 32 jobs and boosting domestic Wärtsilä engine capability. Energy & Infrastructure: A new wave of debate is building around data centers’ power demand, including calls for moratoriums and “private grid” scrutiny as utilities and regulators reassess strain and costs. Local Economy: Washington and Lee says it drives $275M a year in the Shenandoah Valley, supporting 2,400+ jobs, while Virginia tourism hit a record $36.2B in visitor spending. Community Development: Buena Vista and Southern Virginia University are pursuing an Industrial Revitalization Fund grant to turn a long-vacant downtown building into an arts center. Business Moves: Clean Harbors plans to buy EnviroServe from private equity for $470M, expanding its environmental services and recycling/disposal footprint.

Data Centers & Power Costs: Virginia regulators ordered data centers to pay transmission costs built for their loads, a move Gov. Abigail Spanberger says will protect ratepayers from “hundreds of millions” in added bills. State Oversight: The SCC also ordered Dominion to develop a data-center cost plan, while insurers warn the boom is reshaping infrastructure risk and claims. Policy Pushback: An editorial argues Virginia should pause new data centers to give lawmakers time for workable rules, as local activists and communities press for limits tied to water, power, and noise. Utility Politics: Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi launched an “Energy Costs Listening Tour” on the Dominion–NextEra $67B deal, promising transparency and accountability. Tech & Security: Virginia Sen. Mark Warner and Ohio Sen. Jon Husted unveiled a bipartisan package to tighten China AI export controls and require annual reporting on China’s AI capabilities. Agriculture & Drought Relief: USDA expanded drought disaster designations across Virginia’s Ninth District, opening more relief for farmers in multiple counties. Tourism Economy: Virginia tourism hit record levels, with a new analysis estimating $3.4B in state and local taxes from $36.2B in visitor spending. Local Infrastructure: VDOT scheduled major roadway upgrades near Augusta County’s Wilson School Complex, including lane additions and a new roundabout.

Defense & Tech Contracting: HII won a $2.2B task order to deliver advanced surveillance and intelligence capabilities for U.S. Southern Command, underscoring Virginia’s role in defense systems and autonomy. Energy & Utilities: Virginia regulators ordered Dominion Energy to directly assign transmission costs to data centers, while Gov. Abigail Spanberger said she’ll intervene in the Dominion–NextEra merger over potential household bill impacts. Local Infrastructure: Botetourt County’s Dal-Nita Hills waterline project heads to the Board of Supervisors after a Planning Commission review, and Henrico advanced major road and utility work plus repaved access at historic Woodland Cemetery. Solar & Permitting: Botetourt’s Planning Commission asked for more time to refine solar facility zoning rules to match new state limits. Food Safety: A Salmonella outbreak tied to jalapeños is expanding, triggering downstream recalls that reached retailers including Walmart and Whole Foods. Business Growth: Rohirrim (McLean) rolled out UnifiedRespond’s new end-to-end GrowthEngine for governed proposal work, and Datagnome launched into the legal market. Tourism: Virginia hit a record $36.2B in visitor spending, up 3.1% year over year.

Data Centers & Power Costs: Virginia regulators ordered data centers to pay directly for dedicated transmission costs, a move aimed at stopping everyday ratepayers from footing the bill as AI-driven demand surges. Energy & Industry Policy: Virginia’s governor is intervening in the Dominion–NextEra merger review, raising questions about oversight and who should sit out given the SCC chair’s prior NextEra role. Defense & Shipbuilding: Lockheed Martin was named Virginia-class submarine combat system integration partner for Australia, while CBO estimates the Navy’s new Trump-class battleship program at about $275B and flags production capacity challenges. Space & Launch Infrastructure: Rocket Lab unveiled “GHOST,” a portable spaceport system designed to let Electron and HASTE launch more flexibly, including from Virginia’s Wallops Island. Manufacturing Education: Mount Carmel Academy Charter School completed a DoD-backed Industrial Arts & Manufacturing Innovation Lab to train students in robotics, CNC, welding, and additive manufacturing. Environment & Agriculture: A Virginia Tech study found glyphosate can disrupt honeybee brain chemistry and foraging even at sublethal exposure. Local Infrastructure: VDOT’s New River Bridge on I-81 remains under construction after a decade, with residents pressing for answers on delays. Community & Weather: Severe storms knocked out power across central Virginia, with thousands reported without service.

Portsmouth Infrastructure: VDOT crews will start Aug. 12 on a temporary closure of the southbound Frederick Boulevard (Route 17) on-ramp to I-264 west for noise wall work, with a signed detour; an overnight I-264 east to Frederick Boulevard off-ramp closure is set Aug. 10 (7 p.m.–5 a.m.) for striping, weather-dependent. Defense & Shipbuilding: Lockheed Martin won a multi-year AUD$29.3 million contract as Australia’s Virginia-class combat systems integration partner under AUKUS, adding 20+ engineering jobs in Western Australia. Maritime Tech: MTS TechSurge on next-generation maritime autonomy runs Oct. 6–8 in Arlington, bringing together engineers and government leaders on uncrewed systems and sensing. Health & Biotech: AbCellera reported positive Phase 2 results for ABCL635, a non-hormonal hot-flash treatment, showing significant reductions in frequency and severity at week 4. Energy & Data Centers: Virginia released a long-delayed study warning groundwater declines in the eastern coastal plain and calls for tighter rules on industrial water withdrawals; meanwhile, regulators are pushing data centers to pay more of their grid upgrade costs. Courts & Media: AG Kwame Raoul secured a court order against Nexstar/Tegna integration steps that would violate a separation order. Agriculture & Food Supply: VSU researchers are studying a bacterial spot pathogen in tomatoes and peppers to help growers detect threats earlier. Hemp Watch: Seven Virginia hemp businesses asked a federal judge to block new THC restrictions taking effect Aug. 15, arguing they’ll trigger layoffs and closures.

Data Center Costs in the Spotlight: Virginia regulators moved to make data centers pay more of the transmission bill, with a new SCC order requiring Dominion to build a tariff that ties certain grid upgrade costs to large-load customers—aimed at keeping more costs off households and small businesses. Utility Merger Fight: Gov. Abigail Spanberger also escalated her opposition to the proposed $67B Dominion-NextEra merger, formally intervening in the review process over concerns about higher bills, public trust, and impacts on Virginia’s workforce. Local Backlash to Data Centers: In Louisa County, residents’ complaints about an Amazon data center—noise, water issues, air quality, traffic, and alleged property damage—are now in federal court as a lawsuit moves forward. Education Funding Pressure: Norfolk, Newport News, and Portsmouth are asking voters to raise sales taxes by 1% for school construction, citing massive deferred maintenance and aging facilities. Health & Environment Research: A new study finds many U.S. parks sit near toxic chemical-reporting and hazardous-waste sites, challenging the idea that recreation areas are separated from pollution sources. Energy Economics Watch: MIT researchers say fusion may work physically, but the next hurdle is making it compete economically in real power markets.

Energy Regulation: Gov. Abigail Spanberger says she’ll intervene in the $67B Dominion–NextEra merger, pushing for answers on affordability, workforce impacts, and whether Virginians would be asked to pay more. Data Centers & Grid Costs: Virginia regulators ordered Dominion to develop a policy that assigns transmission upgrade costs directly to data centers and other large-load users, aiming to stop residential customers from subsidizing commercial expansion. Local Business Growth: Waynesboro is seeing a fresh wave of tenants and new grant opportunities, with the Virginia Metalcrafters Marketplace adding makers and the city offering matching funds for storefront and tourism projects. Manufacturing/Defense: HII says the Navy awarded about $76.6B in contract modifications covering additional Virginia- and Columbia-class submarine work, including shipyard infrastructure. Aviation: The FAA ordered crack inspections for hundreds of Boeing 737 MAX jets, with rules taking effect Sept. 10. Agriculture/Environment: A Virginia hemp business story highlights how new THC restrictions are triggering lawsuits from operators trying to avoid sudden compliance changes.

Data Centers & Grid Costs: Virginia regulators ordered Dominion to draft a policy shifting certain transmission and substation upgrade costs onto data centers for projects built exclusively for them, aiming to keep households and small businesses from absorbing the bill. Local Governance: Spotsylvania supervisors are weighing support for a statewide moratorium on new data centers, while Aurora council members in Colorado are pushing a six-month pause to study zoning, water, and power impacts. Aviation Safety: The FAA ordered inspections for hundreds of Boeing 737 MAX jets after crack reports, covering 471 planes across specific 737-8/9/8200 variants. AI Infrastructure: Runware launched “Sonic Inference Pods,” modular containerized AI inference data centers designed to bypass long traditional build and grid-connection timelines. Community & Economy: Madison County will host an Aug. 11 economic development town hall on budgets and a potential 1% sales tax for school repairs. Agriculture: Tazewell County Fair marks 158 years, highlighting antique farm equipment and livestock events.