Virginia - Session 2026
Title: Virginia's Great Outdoors Act; established, creates data center land conservation tax.
Virginia's Great Outdoors Act established; land preservation distributions and appropriations. Creates a data center land preservation tax on and after January 1, 2027, in an amount equal to $3 per square foot of each data center facility footprint, as defined in the bill, and directs no less than $250 million of revenues from the tax to be distributed for various land protection and preservation purposes, including into the Virginia Tribal Commitment Fund, as created in the bill. The bill also repeals provisions requiring the Governor to include in the budget bill or in his amendments to the general appropriation act a recommended appropriation from the general fund, up to $20 million, for land preservation as follows: (i) 80 percent of the unissued credits to the Virginia Land Conservation Fund, of which at least 50 percent must be used for acquisitions with public access; (ii) 10 percent to the Virginia Battlefield Preservation Fund; and (iii) 10 percent to the Virginia Farmland and Forestland Preservation Fund.
| Date | Event | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| 0000-00-00 | Status | failed |
| 2026-01-13 | Introduced | Bill introduced |
| 2026-02-10 | Latest Action | S Continued to next session in Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N) |