Virginia lawmakers are considering legislation to limit water consumption by data centers. It comes as Google plans to draw an estimated 8 million gallons per day from Carvins Cove for a facility it’s building in Botetourt County. Nearly 30 data center-related bills have been introduced in the General Assembly, with several targeting water use concerns that have emerged across the state. … [The Southwest Virginia Data Center Transparency Alliance] supports House Bill 496, introduced by Delegate Elizabeth Guzman, which would require proposed data centers to publicly disclose their projected water usage before approval. … Another bill would mandate that data centers report total monthly water withdrawals to the state. Both bills have been advanced by subcommittees. The Western Virginia Water Authority said it will publish Google’s annual water usage once the facility is built and expressed no concern about the additional demand, despite current moderately dry conditions.

Google intends to build three data center buildings totaling nearly 1 million square feet for its planned Botetourt County campus, state records show. It’s the first confirmation that Google wants to construct multiple data centers on a 312-acre site in the Greenfield industrial park that Google bought in June. That means the tech giant should invest no less than $3 billion and employ at least 150 workers if the first data center is completed by 2030, according to the terms of a performance agreement with Botetourt County. More details about the project emerge in permit applications Google filed last month with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, which The Roanoke Rambler obtained in a public records request. Google is seeking permits from DEQ and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers because construction would impact wetlands.

Danville Mayor Alonzo Jones on Tuesday evening named the three finalists and one alternate finalist for an empty seat on Danville City Council after Madison Whittle departed to become a state delegate. Shakeva Frazier, who was the first runner-up in the last election cycle, is automatically a finalist for the interim seat, as stated by the city code. The other two are Shelby Irving and Danny Marshall. Gwyndolyn Stone is the alternate finalist. “The reason that we chose an alternate is that just in case one of the three has something come up,” Jones said, explaining the reasoning behind it. Council members will interview the finalists at 7 p.m. next Tuesday evening in council chambers in a session open to the public. “We will be completely transparent,” Jones stressed at the council meeting. … In all, 11 people applied for the appointment. The others were Petrina Carter, Joseph Elliott, Princess Fitzgerald, Curtia Guthrie, Winston Harrell, Lonnie Jones and Frank Leist, the city reported.

NOTE: Kudos to Danville for this open process where they announced who applied, who the finalists, and why they were adding an alternate. They will have open-session interviews, too. January saw several instances of public bodies being furtive or doing on the bare minimum to keep the public in the loop, resorting occasionally to “well, we’re not required to do more.”

A casino developer gave $75,000 to the city of Roanoke in its pursuit of a casino and entertainment district — but the city isn’t saying what the money’s for. Roanoke received the payment Jan. 27, according to a financial transaction the city provided after an open records request by The Roanoke Rambler. A city spokesperson declined to answer a question about the money’s purpose, citing non-disclosure agreements signed by numerous city officials, from council members to legal staff to economic development employees. The city is also not identifying the name of the casino developer, citing the NDA.

Several Warren County supervisors called out a fellow board member on Tuesday for releasing “confidential” information about County Administrator Bradley Gotshall’s resignation and for breaking attorney-client privilege. Chairwoman Cheryl Cullers, Vice Chairman Tony Carter and supervisors Hugh Henry and John Stanmeyer commented during board member reports. Supervisor Richard Jamieson defended his decision to release documents to the media revealing communications showing that supervisors likely started pushing for Gotshall’s resignation as early as the week before he left Jan. 29. … Carter addressed the county administrator matter and expressed concerns about information released to the media concerning the topic. Carter also voiced his concerns that divulging such information about a county employee could put the county in legal danger. County employees assume they have a certain amount of privacy and that information about them is confidential, Carter said.

A district court judge in Deer Lodge County denied last week a motion by a group of Montana media organizations that sought to access court records related to Michael Brown’s alleged killing of four Anaconda residents last summer. On Aug. 1, Brown walked into the Owl Bar in Anaconda and opened fire, killing four people before fleeing the scene, according to law enforcement. Federal, state and local law enforcement captured Brown following a week-long manhunt. While Brown was still at large, at the request of Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Attorney Morgan Smith, District Court Judge Jeffrey Dahood sealed all legal documents in the court case, a move legal experts said was unusual, according to the Montana Free Press. While Dahood unsealed most of the documents Aug. 29, certain pretrial proceedings and records remain under seal.