Joining us today is Deputy Director Pam Price, RN, who reminds us that every conversation about data centers is also a conversation about health. She will help us understand how rising utility costs and environmental pressures can affect families—particularly those in rural and lower-income communities—and why the full economic and health costs of development must be considered from the beginning.

Virginia currently leads the nation in data center development, with hundreds of facilities operating and many more planned or under construction. While these facilities support our increasingly digital world, their growth raises important questions about energy costs, water use, environmental impacts, noise, infrastructure, and whether affected communities have a meaningful voice in the decisions being made.