An ELI and Network for Digital Economy and Environment (nDEE) Public Webinar
Demand for data centers is increasing worldwide, raising questions about electric grid stability, the transition to renewable energy, and distribution infrastructure needs. Northern Virginia is home to data centers where computers process nearly 70 percent of global digital traffic, leading officials to call for the construction, at ratepayers’ cost, of new power plants and hundreds of miles of new transmission lines across countryside in four states, as well as the continued operation of coal-powered power plants that had been scheduled to go offline.
This webinar will examine the environmental impacts and policy implications of data center growth, the consequences for residents of Northern Virginia and nearby states, and law, policy, and research needs to manage and direct sustainable growth. What will happen as demand for data centers continues to grow? How will local communities be affected? What consequences might we expect for energy policy and infrastructure, and what implications will that have for local communities and national climate goals? Join the Environmental Law Institute and Network for Digital Economy and Environment leading experts in the field to discuss these questions and many more!
Panelists:
Reid Lifset, Research Scholar, School of the Environment, Yale University, Moderator
James McElfish, Senior Advisor, Research and Policy, Environmental Law Institute
Lauren Bridges, Assistant Professor, Department of Media Studies, University of Virginia
Tim Cywinski, Communications Director, Sierra Club Virginia
Pranava Raparla, Presidential Innovation Fellow, Office of Policy / Office of Critical & Emerging Technologies, U.S. Department of Energy
Amy Stein, Cone Wagner Professor of Law, Levin School of Law, University of Florida
Materials:
Materials will be posted as they are received.
The public will have access to a recording of this session (usually posted to this page within 1-3 business days). If you are not an ELI member but would like to have access to other archived sessions like this one, please see the many benefits of membership and how to join.