Today, the Democratic nominee for the Chair of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, Deshundra Jefferson, reiterated her opposition to data centers near homes, schools, and parks and issued the following statement regarding the press conference taking place at the proposed site of Potomac Technology Park:

“I have consistently opposed data centers near homes, schools, and parks. I have deep concerns about the proposed Potomac Technology Park project for that reason. 

However, I will not attend a press conference with my opponent as she professes her purported opposition to this project. Jeanine Lawson, a Data Center Legislative Champion award winner, has supported many data center projects near homes, schools, and parks. 

The press release announcing Lawson’s appearance calls on local government to pause data center development “until it can demonstrate an empathetic understanding of, and remediation for, the profound detrimental effects of what it has already approved.” Jeanine Lawson seems to have forgotten her own responsibility for many of those “profound detrimental effects.”

Based on Jeanine Lawson’s record, I question whether her opposition to poorly-sited data centers will last beyond Election Day.” 

This year alone, Lawson has accepted $4,500 from Gary Jones, the CEO of an organization looking to build a data center near homes in her district, and $7,500 from a PAC funded almost solely by Cloud Management Corp. 

The proposed Potomac Technology Park would construct a large data center adjacent to Prince William Forest Park.