- The PAC of the database coalition has made $ 165,500 in campaign contributions to Virginia lawmakers.
- The financing of the interest group came from companies like Amazon, Visa and Stack Infrastructure.
- The first DCC political donations came ahead of a push from VA lawmakers to regulate databases.
An interest group under the radar representing the developers of the Big Tech Data Center and backed by private capital is increasing the impact of industry on public policy, as the construction of the data center flourishes throughout the country and services services for Meeting the growing demand of electricity from artificial intelligence.
The group’s efforts can already be repaid, as evidenced by a failed list of Bipartisan -backed Datinators in Virginia, where the annual session of the General Assembly will postpone on February 22.
In the three months between the election day and the start of the legislative session in January, a Political Actions Committee related to the database coalition made $ 165,500 in campaign contributions to state lawmakers, Business Insider found in registrations in the Election Department të Virxhinisë.
DCC counts key data center operators, including Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, Google and Blackstone QTS, as members. The group has registered as a lobbying organization in Virginia, the world’s largest data center market, every year since 2019. While it has always represented the interests of the database industry before Virginia lawmakers, these It is the first contributions of the campaign that DCC has ever reported.
The DCC made contributions between November 16 and January 7, the day before the start of Virginia’s annual session. During this time, lawmakers usually talk to lobbyists and write bills.
The data center regulation was expected to be a hot topic at this year’s legislative session. Some lawmakers – both Republicans and Democrats – included in invoices addressing a wide range of public concerns about industry, from noise pollution to the cost of electricity. Of the 27 proposed bills that directly addressed the database industry, only one passed both the room and the Senate.
DCC donations were made by Virginia Pac’s digital infrastructure, which was registered in September with the Virginia Election Department by Kate Smiley, a DCC government official. Pac has reported a total of $ 490,000 in funding from a small group of DCC members, including Pirgut Infrastructure, Clouhq, Vantage, Amazon, Visa and Zyrusone data centers.
The largest amount, $ 250,000, came from Stack’s infrastructure, which was bought last month by the Blue Owl Capital asset manager by a joint enterprise started by Iron Point Partners and Iconic Capital, a multi-family office serving Some of Silicon Valley’s most elite names. Amazon, who has made political donations to Virginia under her name, gave $ 25,000.
Amazon also made a special $ 25,000 donation to Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin’s spirit of Virginia Pac on January 4. The DCC Google member did not contribute to the group’s PAC, though he made four individual donations of $ 25,000, evenly divided between democratic and Republican Pac in December.
“DCC is a nonprofit membership association that does not approve public office candidates or participates in political campaigns,” said Michael Robinson, a DCC spokesman, in a Business Insider mail statement. “Like many business associations, the DCC established a state and local political action committee (PAC) in Virginia. DCC did so as part of its work to engage on behalf of members and help inform Virginians about Many economic and community benefits centers that provide data data they offer, while conversations continue about this critical industry and opportunities arise for additional investment, work and development the supply chain throughout the Commonwealth “.
Stack, Clouhq, Vantage, Amazon, Visa and Cyrusone did not respond immediately to commentary requests.
Virginia’s data center bills
Northern Virginia is the world’s largest data center market, and many of the early growth of the industry occurred there. With the demand for growth of him, the groupings of large data centers are now under construction in many parts of the country.
In Virginia, public concern about industry energy and environmental trace has led to increased control in recent years.
On the agenda for this year’s legislative session, which began on January 8, was a two -party package of invoices that would return to the rapid expansion of the industry between increasing concern for its energy consumption and traces of the environment. The use of energy in Virginia is expected to be more than twice by 2040 due to the requirement of a data center forecast, according to a joint legislative report, known as the JLLA study issued in December. Building the infrastructure needed to support that demand would be “very difficult,” the report said.
In addition to the database package, lawmakers this session considered several invoices regarding the act of a pure Virginia economy, which obliges the monopoly vehicle of the state, Dominion Energy, prosecutes 100% of its electricity from renewable energy sources By 2045.
Data Center operators such as Amazon and Microsoft are some of Dominion’s largest customers in Virginia, meaning legislation on VCEA services can also affect them.
The impact of the technology industry
Campaign contributions made by corporate stakeholders prior to legislative sessions can be used to influence policy decisions, said Brendan Glavin, Director of Knowledge in Opensecrets, a nonprofit that tracks campaign funding and lobbying.
From $ 165,500 in donations made by DCC PAC, $ 50,000 went to Del Chairman. Pac of Don Scott’s democratic leadership. Fondet e mbetura u ndanë midis 34 ligjvënësve në shuma që variojnë nga 1.500 deri në 10,000 dollarë.
Glavin said it is “important” to emphasize a big donation to a powerful legislator or a linked group, such as donating DCC to scott Pac because it can affect which bills do not make the bills .
“Judah as in Congress. The mayor will control what passes, what is considered,” Glavin said.
Donations from a group of interest to individual lawmakers received while counting a legislative session may indicate that the group is seeking to change specific decisions.
“They will have a strategy,” Glavin said. “It may be that they know that one of these people is on the fence for a data center issue, or they can try to persuade them to move their position.”
Virginia Del. Josh Thomas, who represents a heavy database circle in Prince William County and sponsored three database regulation bills, said it was difficult to know exactly that the impact eventually ceased legislation of qendrës së të dhënave.
Thomas said lobbyists representing large technology companies came to Richmond this session, and other powerful groups – including organized work work, real estate development and utilities – also have an interest in affecting legislation data center.
He was not surprised to see that the DCC chose to begin making contributions to the campaign this year, before studying JLLC in the data centers.
“I think they probably believe their arguments themselves can be under attack from a different perspective, and they are no longer the only view in the room,” Thomas told the donations. “Some people think you buy a result, and some people think you buy access or time. Despite your philosophical point of view of campaign contributions, at least, it’s a signal that other voices are in the room.”
Do you work or have knowledge of the data center industry and have knowledge to share? Contact this reporter at etomas@insider.com or arrive through the signal of the messages app coded at +1-929-524-6924.