During public comments, Preserve Craig highlighted growing concern about data centers “popping up all over Southwest Virginia,” emphasizing their high electricity use and, more importantly for Craig County, heavy water consumption from the county’s relatively small watershed. They asked for information that the board could share with constituents about data centers’ impacts, indicating that Craig County is at least beginning to consider how to address potential data center siting and infrastructure demands. While no specific project is proposed in Craig County yet, this is an early policy and planning signal around infrastructure capacity, zoning, and environmental protection related to large‑scale computing facilities.Vendors in infrastructure planning, utility impact studies, economic development strategy, and zoning and ordinance consulting can offer to help the county model power and water impacts, develop siting criteria, and craft community‑facing materials before any concrete proposals arrive.

Issue centers on electricity and water demand of potential data centers within the county’s shared watershed; county appears to lack formal policy framework at this stage.