American Battlefield Trust: “It is Time for the County To Drop Out of This Lawsuit”

(Prince William County, Va.) — The American Battlefield Trust issued the following statement this afternoon about the future of legal proceedings on the 2023 rezonings for the Prince William Digital Gateway:

“It is time for the county to drop out of this lawsuit,” remarked Trust President David N. Duncan. “This rezoning was rushed to approval by a lame duck Board of Supervisors against overwhelming local opposition. It has never been in the best interests of the county to pursue this project, which drops intense and inappropriate industrial development on the doorstep of two of the county’s most picturesque parks, Manassas National Battlefield Park and Conway Robinson State Forest. The county’s time and money would be better spent working toward a conservation solution for this region. It is time for the county to stop carrying water for the data center developers.”

The Trust, along with the Oak Valley Homeowners Association and local residents, filed two lawsuits against the Prince William County Board of Supervisors in January 2024, arguing that the Board had improperly fast-tracked the rezoning by failing to provide the required notice ahead of its approval. Just a week ago, the Virginia Court of Appeals unanimously upheld a lower court ruling agreeing with the Trust and other plaintiffs and voiding the rezonings for multiple violations of the Virginia Code and county ordinances. A discretionary appeal could be sought from the Supreme Court of Virginia.

If built out, the Prince William Digital Gateway — with 37 proposed data center buildings, roughly the equivalent of 144 Walmart Supercenters — would be the largest data center campus on Earth. It would require 14 on-site electrical substations and consume up to 9 gigawatts of electricity, enough to power more than 2 million homes. To provide the necessary power, high voltage lines would be stretched for miles over established residential developments and parks.

Manassas National Battlefield Park commemorates two critical battles of the American Civil War, the Battles of First and Second Manassas (also referred to as First and Second Bull Run). Together, the two battles resulted in nearly 27,000 casualties. While the presence of a national park demonstrates the significance of these battles, important historical events occurred beyond its modern boundaries, on land slated for the Prince William Digital Gateway.

The American Battlefield Trust is dedicated to preserving America’s hallowed battlegrounds and educating the public about what happened there and why it matters today. The nonprofit, nonpartisan organization has protected more than 60,000 acres associated with the Revolutionary War, War of 1812 and Civil War across 160 sites in 25 states, including 387 acres at Manassas. Learn more at www.battlefields.org.