Data centers won’t be on the ballot for the 2026 midterm election, but issues surrounding them are on the minds of Virginia voters. During an election forum sponsored by VPM, Will Cockrell, an urban and environmental planning professor at the University of Virginia, spoke about the lack of planning for data centers at the state and local level. Patrick Larsen, VPM News’ environment and energy reporter, spoke about some of the challenges around meeting the energy needs of the state’s data centers. You can find the full discussion on vpm.org or on VPM’s YouTube channel vpm. Our award-winning work is made possible with your support. Visit vpm.org/givenow to support local journalism. #datacenter #Virginia #vpmnews #publicmedia