GoKawiilVirginia Gov. Spanberger signs order restricting data center NDAs, creates AI task force
Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger issued Executive Order 22, barring executive branch officials from signing NDAs on data center projects, mandating faster noise regulations, and reviewing backup power operations. The order also launches an AI task force to study risks like job losses and privacy harms, alongside a new state framework aimed at ending automatic zoning approvals and rolling back subsidies for data center developers.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
Virginia hosts the world's densest concentration of data centers, so any tightening of oversight there could ripple through the broader industry's expansion plans nationally. With federal action on AI and data centers stalled, states like Virginia, California, New York and Texas are increasingly setting their own rules, creating a patchwork of regulations that companies will have to navigate.
- Virginia will ban NDAs between state officials and data center developers, increasing transparency
- A new AI task force will examine workforce displacement, privacy risks and gaps in existing law
- The move joins a growing trend of state-level action on AI and data centers amid federal inaction
Source: theverge.com — Lauren Feiner, 2026-09-18
Published there as: “Virginia governor creates an AI task force and moves to restrain data centers”
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