AGP Executive Report

Defense & Manufacturing: Alien Control Systems opened a 191,000-square-foot plant in Austin to scale counter-drone production of its Bullfrog system, adding engineering, manufacturing, quality, testing, and supply-chain jobs. Energy & Grid Reliability: MISO filed with FERC to set new reliability requirements for data centers and other large electricity users, including “computational loads” above 25 MW of IT demand, aiming to improve grid visibility and planning. Local Data Center Pressure: Harrisonburg and Rockingham County leaders said data centers would need special-use permits and careful placement to protect water capacity and electrical grid limits. Fuel Costs in Virginia: Diesel pushed above $6 a gallon in parts of Virginia, with Richmond and nearby areas among the highest reported prices, raising pressure on trucking and consumer goods. Solar Access: New Jersey legalized plug-in “balcony solar” systems under 1,200 watts, letting households generate power without utility interconnection steps. Public Works Watch: The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool repair bill reportedly topped $15 million, with additional six-figure charges tied to valve and equipment repairs. Community & Culture: Suffolk is rolling out 5-foot fiberglass peanut statues for public art, joining Norfolk and Chesapeake’s earlier sculpture initiatives.

Data & Power for Virginia’s AI Buildout: Emerald AI’s $150M push aims to keep NVIDIA/Digital Realty’s “Flexible AI Factory” usable when the grid is stressed, with a nearly 100-megawatt Manassas research site targeted to come online later this year. Grid Reliability Rules: MISO has asked FERC to set new reliability expectations for data centers and other large electricity users, including “computational loads” above 25 MW, after FERC flagged gaps in how grid operators plan for big demand. Local Housing/Community Funding: Magnolia commissioners held a CDBG hearing for $950,000 focused on structural rehab or replacement for owner-occupied, low-to-moderate income households, including eligible work in the town’s ETJ. Virginia Tech Materials Recycling: Researchers say they can convert hard-to-recycle PVC into high-performance synthetic oil, stripping out chlorine to produce lubricant-grade output. Energy Costs at the Pump: GasBuddy reports show scattered low-price points across Virginia for E85 and midgrade/premium regular—useful for drivers tracking week-ending Sept. 5 prices. Public Safety & Compliance: North Hatfield residents raised complaints about a landscaping business’s lighting and permit compliance, prompting a planning board discussion.

Data Centers & Water: Amazon has dropped a bid to tap a depleted Virginia aquifer for a data center after backlash, underscoring how power and water strain are reshaping the state’s AI buildout. Local Governance: In Roanoke Valley, a regional industrial authority moved forward on a potential land sale at Wood Haven Technology Park, but residents say the vote lacks clarity and fear the property could be headed for a data center. Grid Reliability: MISO filed with FERC to tighten reliability expectations for large electricity users, including “computational loads” tied to IT equipment—aimed at improving grid visibility as data demand grows. Telecom Transition: Virginia’s utility regulator is pushing back on Verizon’s plan to end legacy copper service, warning that 5% of mobile customers still rely on wireline services. Food Safety: Virginia restaurants and food establishments must now disclose nine major allergens (including sesame) under updated state rules that took effect Sept. 10. Public Sector/Health Policy: Virginia AG Raoul joined a coalition urging a federal appeals court to uphold a ruling blocking an ACA rule that would have made coverage harder to maintain.

Education & Workforce: Gov. Abigail Spanberger toured Osbourn Park High School in Manassas, meeting students and teachers in automotive, biomedical, and biotechnology programs while discussing safety, class sizes, mental health, and access to specialized pathways. Energy & Infrastructure: VDOT scheduled the reopening of Six Mount Zion Road at the I-64 overpass on Sept. 11, with intermittent flagging as bridge widening and utility work continues; separate VDOT alerts cover Fairfax County Parkway night lane closures and Culpeper District roadwork plans. Data Centers & Power Costs: A new MISO proposal to FERC would set reliability requirements for large electricity users, including data centers over 50 MW, aiming to improve grid visibility and planning; meanwhile, local governments and lawmakers face growing pressure over transparency and ratepayer impacts. Public Safety & Community: The Southside Virginia Family YMCA will add its first pickleball courts in Farmville, unveiling them at a free Sept. 19 open house. Agriculture: Virginia cattlemen urged Gov. Spanberger to address foreign beef import pressure, processing limits, and drought-driven hay shortages.

Energy & Utilities: Wynson Securities says shareholder approval clears the way for the NextEra–Dominion all-stock merger, pitching a combined 10 million customer footprint across VA and a generation mix built for rising demand from data centers and electrification. Local Land Use & Water: A Virginia judge let Caroline County keep pursuing eminent domain for a Rappahannock River water intake, ruling the project is “public use” and that the county followed required notice and process. Forestry Jobs: Gov. Spanberger announced Twain Lumber’s $7.4M investment to reopen a Henry County sawmill, targeting 74 new jobs and a major ramp-up in board-feet capacity. Data Centers Backlash: Virginia’s data-center fight keeps heating up as residents and environmental groups push for moratoriums and question impacts on rural land and utility costs. Consumer Trust: A George Mason University working paper warns that fake Yelp/Amazon reviews can damage businesses’ reputations—hurting the trust that money can’t easily replace. Public Safety & Infrastructure: Norfolk ferry service at Waterside is paused during construction, with riders rerouted to Harbor Park and shuttles. Skilled Trades Workforce: Coverage highlights efforts to bring more women into welding and other construction trades amid ongoing labor shortages.

Virginia Energy & Infrastructure: VDOT will reopen the I-64 west mainline lane in Norfolk between Tidewater Drive and Patrol Road overnight Sept. 12 (backup Sept. 19), with ramp and adjacent lane closures during the switch as Hampton Roads Express Lanes work continues. Local Planning & Housing: Henrico’s Planning Commission is set to defer key steps in the Oasis Point redevelopment tied to the former Hadad’s Lake property, while also starting work on new cannabis zoning rules. Public Safety & Community: A Virginia truck driver, Keith Rahn of Radford, earned his third Highway Angel award after stepping in at a truck stop to help a woman during an assault. Manufacturing & Jobs: Twain Lumber will invest $7.4M to reopen a Henry County sawmill, aiming to boost capacity and create 74 jobs. Food Assistance Security: Gov. Spanberger rolled out more secure “chip-and-tap” EBT cards statewide to reduce SNAP skimming and fraud. Defense & Procurement: The U.S. Navy opened a requirement for 19 MQM-170C target drones, with performance tied to Virginia. Industry Watch: Avio reported first-half core earnings up 7.3% as it ramps launcher production and advances a Virginia solid rocket motor facility.

Dominion–NextEra Merger: Virginia’s State Corporation Commission added in-person public hearings to the Dominion-Nextera case, giving residents more chances to weigh in as the debate intensifies over ratepayer impacts. Energy Costs & Local Pressure: Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi held an energy-cost listening tour in Richmond and Hampton Roads, where residents pressed for protections they fear the merger won’t deliver. Smart Glasses at Work: A new workplace guidance piece argues for risk-based, technology-neutral smart-glasses rules—balancing privacy, cybersecurity, and accessibility needs. School Funding Referendums: Lawmakers updated that 47 Virginia localities are asking voters for a 1% sales tax to fund school construction and renovations, with early voting set to begin Sept. 18. Agriculture: A dry spring and hot summer are squeezing Virginia hay supplies, with some farmers reporting 30% to 60% production drops. Cybersecurity: A Roanoke City data breach raised questions about delayed notification after a phishing incident. Tech & Industry: ASP Isotopes highlighted its push to ramp helium production in South Africa, targeting a tightening global supply chain. Workforce: Naval Medical Center Portsmouth announced a direct-hire job fair Sept. 28 for medical, tech, admin, and logistics roles.

Data Center Policy Push (Virginia): Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10) unveiled a four-bill national plan that would force data centers to cover needed energy infrastructure, report water and power use, and assess community, environmental, and national security impacts—aimed at stopping costs from landing on households. Local Merger Scrutiny: A coalition of nine Virginia community groups is asking for more transparency and in-person public hearings as regulators review the Dominion–NextEra merger, citing shared regional pressures from data center growth. Housing & Real Estate Impact: A new National Association of REALTORS® report finds data centers cluster heavily in a few counties—Northern Virginia leads—and shows much higher home values and faster growth where they’re concentrated (with a clear note that correlation isn’t causation). Grid Monitoring Tech: PNNL licensed its generator performance “Generator Scorecard” to Virginia’s Simple Thread for utility deployment as Aion Pulse, targeting faster, more consistent grid disturbance assessment. Manufacturing Expansion: SteelFab plans a $19M expansion in Fayetteville, adding 38 jobs in Cumberland County. Legal Update (EB-5): A Virginia federal judge tossed much of an EB-5 investors’ fraud suit tied to a “doomed” hotel redevelopment project.

Virginia Digital Service: Gov. Abigail Spanberger named Andrea Fletcher director of the new Virginia Digital Service, aiming to modernize state websites and systems and improve how quickly and reliably residents can access services. Data Centers & Costs: A Virginia congressman (Suhas Subramanyam) unveiled a four-bill plan to regulate data center expansion, pushing for energy and water cost accountability and community impact reviews. Chesapeake Bay Recovery: Maryland reported underwater grasses expanded nearly 13% in 2025, with Virginia’s saltiest waters driving record eelgrass gains—good news for habitat and water quality. Agriculture Watch: VDACS says wild ginseng harvest runs Sept. 1–Dec. 31 with strict rules on plant age, stem scars, and seed replanting. Local Environment & Landscaping: Box tree moths remain a threat to Virginia boxwoods, with VDACS quarantine and treatment efforts continuing in affected areas. Energy/Infrastructure Politics: Richmond’s City Council tried to fast-track intervention in the Dominion–NextEra merger review, but procedural hurdles stalled the vote ahead of an SCC deadline. Defense Industry: L3Harris won a $4.7B PAC-3 propulsion deal with Lockheed Martin, expanding U.S. interceptor production capacity.

Transportation & Infrastructure: Route 11 widening kicks off Sept. 9 in Rockingham County, with weekday single-lane closures and shoulder work first, then a broader four-lane build later. Public Works & Commuter Impact: Amtrak will pause Danville service for nine days in October while upgrades hit the First Street Tunnel near Washington’s Union Station. State Tech & Procurement: Gov. Abigail Spanberger names Andrea Fletcher to lead a new Virginia Digital Service aimed at modernizing state IT and preventing costly, failed tech contracts. Defense & Manufacturing: L3Harris lands a major $4.7B, seven-year PAC-3 propulsion deal with Lockheed Martin. Energy & Grid: PJM is moving to address data-center-driven demand with a 6GW backstop auction. Local Business & Jobs: Founding Farmers relocates its HQ to District Heights, Md., targeting 90+ jobs by end of 2027. Environment & Industry Oversight: Henrico DEQ actions highlight air-permit violations, PFAS discharge monitoring proposals, and wetland review activity. Agriculture & Education: Botetourt County’s Historical Society will spotlight 4-H’s local legacy during National 4-H Week.

Virginia Economy Watch: A new “America’s Top States for Business” study puts North Carolina #1 overall (and #1 on Economy), while Texas ranks #2 on Economy but slips on Quality of Life—an early warning sign for states chasing growth without keeping living costs in check. Campaign & Policy: Sen. Mark Warner visited JMU to back Beth Macy in VA-06, tying the race to national stakes and warning that energy costs and agriculture pressures are hitting Virginia producers. Construction & Development: Developers say tariffs and labor tightness are slowing big builds, a theme that matters for Virginia projects competing for materials and crews. Data Centers & Power: The Dominion–NextEra merger cleared shareholder backing, setting up a major Southeast power-and-grid story as AI demand accelerates; meanwhile, new reporting highlights how data centers are reshaping local water and power planning. Housing Supply: ESC Homes is preparing homeowners for Virginia’s July 2027 ADU law, emphasizing by-right permits and removing the family-relation requirement. Local Business: Wawa opened a 24/7 store in Middletown, signaling continued retail expansion in the I-81 corridor. Public Safety & Fraud: BBB Scam Tracker shows multiple Virginia cities tied for high scam-report counts in July, underscoring ongoing consumer risk. Defense Industry: A Navy shortage story points to shipyard capacity and skilled-worker bottlenecks affecting submarine production timelines—relevant to Virginia’s Newport News ecosystem.

Labor & AI: Cardinal Robert W. McElroy warned at a Labor Day Mass that AI’s workplace shift raises a hard question—whether “meaningful work” will remain—and urged protecting workers’ dignity. Energy Costs & Grid Politics: Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi launched a Loudoun energy listening tour tying rising bills to transmission strain, data-center power demand, and the proposed NextEra-Dominion merger. Data Center Transparency: A national debate is heating up over local governments signing NDAs that limit what residents can learn about data center deals, with Pennsylvania cited as a flash point. Transit Disruption: Amtrak will suspend most Virginia-to-Washington service Oct. 16–26 for tunnel switch upgrades, pushing many trips to Alexandria and using express buses for the rest. Defense & Shipbuilding: Huntington Ingalls won $336M for long-lead materials for the future USS William J. Clinton at Newport News. Local Real Estate: Chesapeake and Hampton-area commercial and office transactions moved in the $9M+ range, signaling steady Hampton Roads development activity. Agriculture & Community: Carroll County’s Agricultural Fair drew hundreds of animal exhibitors and nearly 1,200 exhibits, underscoring ongoing rural industry engagement.

Energy & Utilities: Virginia Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi is taking her energy-costs listening tour to Hampton Roads as the State Corporation Commission weighs the Dominion Energy–NextEra merger, pressing for assurances that bills won’t keep climbing. Workforce & Labor: Attorney General Jay Jones announced a new Worker Protection Unit to pursue wage theft, retaliation, and employee misclassification through civil enforcement and partnerships. Housing & Industry: Manufactured housing leaders say a new federal housing law could spur innovation by removing the requirement for a permanent chassis. Food & Local Business: Fredericksburg’s Always Flavored marks six years with expanded retail reach and a new Sysco relationship. Consumer Safety: AARP Virginia warns of a surge in tech support scams using fake pop-ups and cold calls. Scams Watch: Radford tied for 36th in Virginia for BBB Scam Tracker reports in July, with four reports totaling about $209 in losses. Agriculture: VDACS opened Virginia’s wild ginseng harvest season (Sept. 1–Dec. 31) with age and prong limits and seed-planting rules. Defense: US-Australia talks under AUKUS and force posture initiatives point to expanded training and logistics in Australia, raising regional stability concerns.

Energy & Data Centers: Chesterfield’s Google buildout is colliding with grid limits: a PJM capacity auction for 2028-29 fell short by nearly 6.8 gigawatts, with data centers blamed for the rapid load growth and higher costs that flow to ratepayers. Housing Policy: Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s Commission on Unlocking Housing Production held its first meeting in Richmond, aiming to cut red tape and boost supply after Virginia’s estimated affordable housing gap of roughly 300,000 units. Workforce & Economy: A new Virginia labor/economic report says the state lost about 67,000 jobs over the year through July, with job growth expected to be modest and still tied to federal spending. Local Business & Commercial Real Estate: Fairfax-based Aggregate Real Estate Investors bought an 11-building, ~320,000-square-foot portfolio in McLean, Chantilly, Ashburn and Sterling for $58M, keeping it largely leased. AI & Text Integrity: A new explainer argues AI text watermarking is becoming practical, raising fresh questions for creators and copycats. Public Safety: Virginia State Police will ramp up Labor Day enforcement, citing higher fatality counts year-to-date. Civic Tech/Privacy: A federal appeals court rejected a Trump push to reinstate the SAVE voter purge database. Innovation & IP: Patent Attorney launched a redesigned website for Virginia inventors, mapping the patent process into a clearer five-step path.

Data Centers & Local Pushback: A Pennsylvania farmer turned down a ~$15.7M offer for an AI data center and instead placed a conservation easement on his land to keep it agricultural, underscoring how rural communities are fighting back as development spreads. Virginia Community Impact: In Spotsylvania County, residents are organizing against a planned 633-acre data center campus near Belvedere Plantation, arguing the project threatens local life and farmland. Grid Strain in Northern Virginia: Fairfax County Public Schools is reporting more than 100 power outages a month, with officials pointing to electrical grid strain as data-center demand grows. Tech Automation in Virginia’s Orbit: Meta is testing dual-armed robots to swap server-rack cables inside data centers, a sign of how automation is moving from logistics to hands-on maintenance. Policy & Politics: Virginia House Speaker Don Scott says he wants “action” not promises as the Dominion–NextEra merger faces scrutiny over rates, jobs, and clean-energy commitments. Aviation Investment: Gov. Spanberger announced nearly $40M for upgrades at 65 Virginia public-use airports, including Norfolk and Richmond improvements. Broadband Expansion: EMPOWER Broadband hit 10,000 subscribers after completing a major rural fiber build across Southside Virginia. Agriculture & Trade: Virginia cattle farmers are warning that a tariff-free beef import plan could crush family farms. Weather Watch: Labor Day weekend storm threats include parts of Virginia and the Carolinas, with hazardous wind gust risk.

Rural Broadband Boost: EMPOWER Broadband finished its VATI 2022 fiber build across Brunswick, Charlotte, Halifax and Mecklenburg counties and hit 10,000 subscribers, a direct win for Southside connectivity. Data Center & Energy Policy: Virginia’s housing and power debates keep colliding with AI growth, with lawmakers and regulators weighing how the Dominion/NextEra deal could shape electricity costs and in-state generation. Surveillance Tech Backlash: Lynchburg ended its Flock Safety contract as anti-surveillance campaigns against automated license plate readers keep spreading, with more cities suspending or canceling systems. Semiconductor Stakes: The DOJ backed Micron in a New York court fight over a $100B CHIPS hub near Syracuse, arguing delays could threaten national security and supply-chain independence. Defense Industrial Procurement: Huntington Ingalls won a $336.1M Navy contract for long-lead materials for the USS William J. Clinton carrier, pushing the Ford-class program deeper into funded production. Local Business Spotlight: A Virginia Beach studio rebranded to Baseline Studios, expanding from photography rentals into a broader content-creation hub. Consumer Watch: Norfolk logged 17 BBB scam reports in July, with online purchase scams driving the biggest losses.