With water once again flowing in Richmond, the General Assembly convened for our first full week of session in 2025. 

Keep reading for more details on this week in the General Assembly, and do not hesitate to reach out to me if there is any issue you would like on my radar or anything my office can do to assist you. 

Speaking directly with constituents about the issues most important to them is one of the highlights of my job as a Delegate. If you find yourself in Richmond during this year's session, be sure to stop by Room 908 and say hello to me and my team and sign our visitor log.

Members of the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants and fellow Fairfax residents came by the office to discuss workforce development issues facing CPAs .

This week I am highlighting HB 2578, which would tie Virginia data centers' tax exempt status to meeting stronger energy efficiency and clean energy standards. At a recent press conference highlighting data center legislation, I spoke about the importance of passing my bill. 

My full remarks can be found here.

Data centers located in the Commonwealth are exempt from state sales and use taxes.

This exemption has made Virginia the data center capital of the nation, if not the world. And there is a growing consensus in Richmond and around the state that they should be subject to stronger guidelines to safeguard our citizens and our electric grid. 

Read the full JLARC study

According to a recent JLARC study, one of the most pressing issues presented by the rapid growth in data centers is the increased demand they are putting on our power grid.

Servers housed in these facilities draw large amounts of power and produce a tremendous amount of heat, requiring them to draw even more energy to cool them.

In the event of a power outage, data centers rely on inefficient diesel generators, which also have to be tested regularly, pumping noxious exhaust directly into the communities that surround them.

There are many different efforts to address data centers this year. My bill specifically focuses on energy efficiency. If we are going to build more data centers in Virginia, I believe they should be required to operate as efficiently as possible.

HB 2578 would require data centers to:

The bill would also direct the Virginia Department of Energy and the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation to:

• Research Diesel Alternatives - Study the use of diesel backup generators  and the feasibility of replacing them with cleaner alternatives for both backup and primary power.

• Connect Heat With Producers and Energy Consumers - Develop a plan to connect consumers in need of heat to data centers with excess thermal energy

My legislation will require Virginia's largest energy consuming sectors to invest in our Commonwealth's clean energy transition. The bill would also spark innovation in Virginia colleges and universities, particularly in the capture and reuse of excess heat.

Other innovators have captured the heat to power greenhouses, grow algae, and even warm homes in the winter. With the right laws in place, we can make data centers work for Virginia taxpayers and communities.

As Virginia transitions to a clean economy, a growing number of land owners who want to construct solar arrays on their land have been denied the opportunity by local boards.

Donna Miller, who owns a historic family farm in Augusta County, penned an opinion piece for the Virginia Mercury highlighting the damages done by her county commission when they chose to terminate her solar project.

Below is one of my favorite quotes from her article:

"Solar also offered a financial safety net that could help us stay in farming even during hard times. It’s not a replacement for farming; it’s a way to support it. Instead of selling off pieces of the farm or struggling to make ends meet, we could rely on solar to keep our land intact and operational."

You can read her entire piece here.

You know you are going deep on Virginia politics when you start tracking the ins-and-outs of our various committees.

Similar to what we all heard in Schoolhouse Rock, any legislation that wants to become law in the General Assembly must first be considered by a committee overseeing legislation on that topic.

Some of the most important discussions on bills happen during these committee hearings, making them one of the most important steps in the legislative process.

I serve on the Labor and Commerce, Courts of Justice, and Finance.

Labor and Commerce Committee

Chaired by Del. Jeion Ward, the Labor and Commerce Committee reviews any legislation pertaining to workers and industry in Virginia and has four subcommittees, each handling specific issue areas.

If you are curious about what it looks like when a delegate presents a bill in committee,  you can watch my presentation of my bill, HB1778, in the video above.

I have the privilege of chairing Subcommittee 3, which handles all matters related to energy and environmental policy. If you'd like to learn more about the subcommittee, an archived recording of our last meeting can be viewed here.

Courts of Justice Committee

The Courts of Justice Committee handles legislation pertaining to Virginia's court system and our justice system more broadly. For instance, legislation I have drafted to compensate wrongly-convicted Virginians is currently under review by the committee.

The Courts of Justice Committee compriss of four subcommittees: Civil, Criminal, Judicial, and Subcommittee 4.

Finance Committee

From art to cuisine to culture, you can find it all right in our backyard here in the 6th District. I've highlighted a couple of upcoming events  below.

Do you have an exciting event you'd like to share with us? Reach out to my office and you may see it in a future newsletter.

Volunteer Fairfax Family Friendly In-Person Day of Service

• Saturday, Jan 25, Multiple Times at the James Lee Community Center 
• In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the spirit of service he represented, Volunteer Fairfax presents Give Together, an in-person day of service for families, businesses, and youth. Join us as we work together to complete service projects benefiting local nonprofits and community members in the Northern Virginia region.

Would you be willing to share the opportunity to receive my newsletter with your friends and family in the McLean, Great Falls, and Vienna area? I know a direct ask from you would go a long way. Feel free to reach out to my team if you have any specific ways to grow our subscriber list. 

Use the button below to send an email to anyone you think might appreciate my updates. 

Your Delegate,

Rip Sullivan

Rip Sullivan for Delegate
PO Box 994
McLean, VA 22101
United States

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