Hearing prep

Questions to ask at your next hearing

A one-page cheat sheet distilled from the wizard. Print it, screenshot it, hand it to a neighbor. Every question is designed to force a specific answer onto the record.

Power & the grid

  1. What is the peak MW draw at full build-out, not at commissioning?
  2. What transmission and substation upgrades does this project require, and which side of the utility fence pays for each?
  3. If any transmission goes into the utility's rate base, what is the projected monthly impact on residential customers, per the utility's own filed testimony?
  4. Will the developer accept a large-load tariff guaranteeing 100% of grid-upgrade costs stay off residential bills?
  5. What backup generation is planned, how many hours per year is it permitted to run, and are the units Tier 4 or battery rather than legacy diesel?

Water

  1. What is the daily and annual water withdrawal at full build-out?
  2. What percentage of the municipal supply does that represent?
  3. Will the developer commit to a hard cap in gallons per day, with a surcharge for exceeding it, filed as a permit condition?
  4. If evaporative cooling is proposed, will the developer commit to recycled or non-potable water as Microsoft has for its new builds?
  5. Will water usage reports be filed as public record, not marked proprietary?

Money & taxes

  1. What is the total value of all tax abatements (property, equipment, sales) over the abatement period?
  2. What annual community benefit payment is on offer, in $/MW/year, and is it CPI-adjusted?
  3. Are there clawback provisions if the developer doesn't hit hiring or investment targets?
  4. Will data-center tax revenue be allocated to reduce residential property taxes, as Loudoun County does?
  5. What is the decommissioning bond, in $/MW, and when is it posted?

Noise & light

  1. What is the maximum modeled noise level at the nearest residential property line, and what limit will be recorded as a permit condition?
  2. Will noise be measured after commissioning, not just modeled beforehand, and reported publicly?
  3. Will exterior lighting be full-cutoff, shielded, and at or below 3000K per AMA community guidance?

Process & transparency

  1. Who is the ultimate parent of the LLC on the application? What is the tenant chain?
  2. Are there NDAs between the developer and any municipal official or utility that limit what can be disclosed at this hearing?
  3. What is the proposed build-out ceiling on this parcel — not phase one, but the full site plan?
  4. Will the developer agree to quarterly public reporting on water, noise, and generator hours as a permit condition?
  5. What happens if the tenant walks after year ten of the abatement — who owns the stranded infrastructure?

Bring receipts. Every one of these questions has a documented precedent elsewhere. The case studies page has the citations; the CBA clause library has drop-in language to attach to any answer you're not satisfied with.

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