A backlash against internet data centers has triggered a wave of laws around the country to restrain the rapidly growing industry that uses massive amounts of energy to make cloud computing and smart technology possible.
The industry’s explosive growth — first over the past decade in Loudoun County and more recently in Prince William County — has triggered anxiety among residents, environmentalists and officials.
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As hulking, energy-guzzling data centers mushroom across the western reaches of Northern Virginia, environmentalists are warning of dire consequences for a local national jewel — Shenandoah National Park.