I am writing in support of HB641 bill for The Virginia’s Great Outdoors Act so that our outdoor spaces will be protected and properly funded. If more data centers are to be built in Virginia, they must to everything in their power to protect the environment they are negatively affecting.

I am writing to express my strong support for House Bill 641, which would ensure that data centers contribute fairly to the environmental protections Virginia urgently needs. Virginia’s rapid expansion of data centers brings significant economic growth, but it also comes with real environmental costs — including increased energy demand, water use, and impacts on surrounding communities and ecosystems. HB 641 is an important step toward balancing innovation with responsibility by directing new revenue toward protecting our natural resources and addressing environmental strain. This issue is deeply personal to me. I live along the James River and spend time in the James River Parks System every week with my young daughter. These parks and waterways are not just scenic amenities — they are part of our daily lives, our health, and our shared Virginia heritage. Protecting them for future generations must be a priority as development accelerates across the Commonwealth. House Bill 641 represents a commonsense approach: if data centers benefit from Virginia’s infrastructure and communities, they should also help fund the environmental safeguards necessary to sustain them. Thank you for your leadership and for considering my support. I hope you will vote in favor of HB 641.

I ask that you vote for HB641 to support Virginia's beautiful wild spaces that benefit all Virginians.

Please support this bill, help us continue to enjoy the great outdoors!

Virginia would benefit greatly from this bill and I support it! Virginia State Parks not only enrich the lives of Virginians like myself, they also draw tourism and, therefore support our economy! Please pass this bill!

Here in Virginia, we are fortunate to have the opportunity to recreate outdoors on public lands such as our state parks, natural forests, lakes, and rivers. Virginia’s Great Outdoors Act (HB641) would provide much-needed funding to keep these resources available for all to enjoy. Please protect our lands by supporting this bill!

I support this bill. We’re lucky to live where we do. This bill would greatly benefit us in the Commonwealth. The outdoors is vital to our physical health, mental health, and to our local environment. We need to protect our beautiful outdoor spaces at all costs.

State parks absorb pressure that would otherwise land on roads, healthcare systems, and local governments. They protect watersheds that supply drinking water, provide low-cost recreation for families who can’t afford private alternatives, and sustain rural economies through tourism, jobs, and small businesses. Stable, dedicated funding means parks can plan responsibly instead of deferring maintenance until it becomes an emergency. As a resident who hikes, camps, and raises children here, I want them to inherit trails that are safe, accessible, and resilient.

I ask that you support this bill to give help to our State Park and other outdoor facilities. Thank you very much! Erica Vincent

I respectfully request that you provide the funds necessary to provide continuous financing to support outdoor spaces for the public.

I ask your support HB 641, the Virginia’s Great Outdoors Act, which would provide dedicated funding to protect our lands and waters, improve public access to the outdoors, and invest in parks, trails , and public lands. As a physical therapist I know how important physical exercise is and Virginia's public lands offer so many opportunities for movement and healthy habits outside in nature! Thank you for your consideration

I am a Trail Ambassador representing an amazing nonprofit organization called Girls Who Hike Virginia. As a proud member of this organization for the past 4 years and a lifelong lover of the outdoors I support the passing of HB641. Our State Parks provide much needed spaces for recreation. I have witnessed first hand what the outdoors and recreation can do for a person’s mental, physical, and emotional health. Today, more than ever, our society needs recreation to keep healthy and our local state parks provide the foundation to do so. A healthy person participates in a healthier community and breeds a healthier society. Help us keep the our spaces in state parks to maintain our health and fellowship with the outdoors.

I strongly support HB 641, the Virginia’s Great Outdoors Act, because it provides a responsible and forward-looking way to invest in the long-term conservation of Virginia’s natural lands. By dedicating funding from large-scale data center development to land preservation, this bill helps protect forests, farmland, wildlife habitat, and outdoor recreation spaces that are vital to our communities and economy. HB 641 ensures that as Virginia grows, we also safeguard the natural resources that define our Commonwealth and enhance quality of life for current and future generations.

I am writing today to ask you to support Virginia’s Great Outdoors Act (HB641), which would provide dedicated funding to protect our lands and waters, improve public access to the outdoors, and invest in parks, trails, and public lands. We must take action to protect valuable natural and historic resources for current and future generations before they are permanently lost. HB641 would address the conservation and outdoor recreation needs of the Commonwealth and help more Virginians access and enjoy the great outdoors. Please support this bill!

Our outdoor spaces are vital to the health and wellbeing of all communities in Virginia and should be protected at all cost.

I support this bill to provide more funding to our outdoor spaces. More access and funding for the outdoors benefits everyone. This bill would help support that. Thanks for your time and all you do!

This bill is common sense decency for our Commonwealth. Need I remind y'all what a commonwealth means? It means you are here to serve us. We are never going to let you forget that. Virginia has faced an unprecedented exploitation of resources in the last five years in a rapid scale. The last time this land was destructed in such a giant way, was back in the horrid colonial times when the disgraceful King of England had the sacred indigenous land reshaped for his profits. At least we can sow, harvest, and eat food from the result of that loss of wild lands which that greed once caused... Now, I am a farmer so I hope you all realize this, but some surely don't: Data centers will not feed us in the future, especially not, if they take most of our clean fresh water with low PPM of PFAS and just evaporate it. Look at it this way! You'll be a little less complicit to evil if you vote for the VA Great Outdoors Act. A tax on data centers to benefit nature is your way of enabling a little less evil than just letting the data centers keep on stealing our state's income. We the people are paying the price through the millions in tax breaks they have already gotten away with due to your negligence and probably corruption. We are going to need a lot of money for public lands when all the byproduct problems begin to multiply due to the horrible unregulated corporate industries y'all already allowed with very little research or guardrails to come into this state ( like PFAS via low industrial regulations and biosolids). Please, stop enabling the raping of Virginia. Yes. Rape. That is genuinely what will happen if you vote no on the VA Great Outdoors Act. I can say that... because I was raped at age 13 and I am not afraid, like our own government is, to call out rapists when I see them.

Support the amazing outdoor spaces VA has to offer!

This bill is common sense decency for our Commonwealth. Need I remind y'all what a commonwealth means? It means you are here to serve us. We are never going to let you forget that. Virginia has faced an unprecedented exploitation of resources in the last five years in a rapid scale. The last time this land was destructed in such a giant way, was back in the horrid colonial times when the disgraceful King of England had the sacred indigenous land reshaped for his profits. At least we can sow, harvest, and eat food from the result of that loss of wild lands which that greed once caused... Now, I am a farmer so I hope you all realize this, but some surely don't: Data centers will not feed us in the future, especially not, if they take most of our clean fresh water with low PPM of PFAS and just evaporate it. Look at it this way! You'll be a little less complicit to evil if you vote for the VA Great Outdoors Act. A tax on data centers to benefit nature is your way of enabling a little less evil than just letting the data centers keep on stealing our state's income. We the people are paying the price through the millions in tax breaks they have already gotten away with due to your negligence and probably corruption. We are going to need a lot of money for public lands when all the byproduct problems begin to multiply due to the horrible unregulated corporate industries y'all already allowed with very little research or guardrails to come into this state ( like PFAS via low industrial regulations and biosolids). Please, stop enabling the raping of Virginia. Yes. Rape. That is genuinely what will happen if you vote no on the VA Great Outdoors Act. I can say that... because I was raped at age 13 and I am not afraid, like our own government is, to call out rapists when I see them.

Our Virginia State Park system is a gift for ALL Virginians. What other state in this country can tell its residents that each and every one of them has a beautiful recreational opportunity at a VSP within an hour of their house?! Please pass this bill, keep our parks funded consistently and reliably, keep growing our park system so that more and more of us can enjoy them. Thank you.

I strongly support HB 641 because Virginia’s natural spaces and outdoor rec opportunities are worth investing in. This bill would create a dedicated fund for conserving parks, trails, wildlife corridors, and open land — stuff literally everyone benefits from. It ensures that huge data centers, which take up tons of land and resources, contribute to protecting our environment and outdoor access. More funding for nature means cleaner water, safer trails, stronger local tourism, and better outdoor spaces for current and future generations. Please move HB 641 forward! 

If northern Virginia is going to host the world’s data infrastructure, that growth should directly pay for protecting Virginia’s land! I support this bill that invests in preserving what makes Virginia a great place to live—now and for future generations.

The monies generated from this tax will be essential in maintaining the preservation and protection of lands within our state parks and natural areas. These funds will help ensure that current Virginia residents and future generations are able to get outdoors and be able to enjoy our parks and natural areas.

I support HB641 Virginia's Great Outdoors Act. It is crucial for the health of Virginians and will increase revenue for our Commonwealth.

Virginia's Great Outdoor Act is a crucial piece of legislation for the outdoor spaces our beautifully diverse state has to offer. I volunteer with a nonprofit, Girls Who Hike Virginia, that aims to connect, educate, and empower women in the outdoors. As the main coordinator in Girls Who Hike Virginia's Adopt-a-Trail partnership with Virginia State Parks, I am seeing firsthand how desperately our parks need help. At each of the 20 Virginia State Parks that we have active Adopt-a-Trail partnerships with, the Chief Rangers of Visitor Experience and Volunteer Coordinators constantly speak of how grateful they are we're there to help fill the gap in staffing available to consistently maintenance the trails that millions of people visit every year. Not only do Virginia State Parks have a huge economic impact on the areas of the state they serve (see attachment), they provide outdoor spaces for health and wellness benefits as well. Being outside in a safe, well cared for space like our Virginia State Parks can reduce stress and anxiety, boost Vitamin D, and build social connections that are so incredibly important for mental well-being. Data centers across the state are already contributing to municipalities building new schools. Why shouldn't they contribute to the outdoor spaces in their communities as well? Please, please, please support HB641! The attached file is an economic impact study from 2024 on the impact Virginia State Parks make on local economies.

I’m writing in support of HB641. Funding our state parks is a no-brainer. Money invested in our parks benefits all Virginians by creating and maintaining beautiful, well kept spaces that encourage health recreation and brings in tourism. As a state park enthusiast and a hiking club ambassador I ask that this bill be passed.

Active Prince William and the Greater Prince William Trails Coalition strongly SUPPORT HB641 because state investments in land conservation and outdoor recreation infrastructure and programs are vital to Virginia's economic vitality and quality of life. We especially support allocating $25M/yr to DCR to improve recreational trails and $25M/yr to VDOT's State Trails Office to advance long-distance multiuse trails ............................................................................................................................................................................................. Virginia has long under-invested in land conservation and outdoor recreation infrastructure because it has lacked a dedicated and dependable funding source for these vital activities. These are cost-effective investments that will pay for themselves through greater state visitation and tourism and increased jobs in the recreation and hospitality sectors. ............................................................................................................................................................................................ HB641 would establish a new data center land preservation tax at the rate of $3 per square foot of each data center facility footprint (with small facilities exempted) and would allocate at least $250 million/year of the revenues for various land protection and preservation purposes. ............................................................................................................................................................................................. Reasons to Support HB641: ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 1) Taxing the land covered by data center buildings follows a proven model for funding conservation. For example, the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund is derived primarily from federal off-shore oil and gas leases. 2) Data centers have a nexus with land and water; not just the buildings themselves but the infrastructure needed across VA to support them. 3) This is a manageable cost of doing business for these multi-billion-dollar companies. 4) All Virginians are paying for VA data centers, but only those in the host localities benefit from the local tax revenues. This is a way to spread the benefit of hosting this industry to all, particularly in regions that will likely never be able to or want to host data centers. 5) Virginia Great Outdoors Act would help pay for park, trail, and conservation projects throughout VA, enhancing quality of life and attracting businesses and visitors. ............................................................................................................................................................................................. Thank you for considering this much-needed and long-delayed initiative.

I strongly support HB641 and Virginia’s investment in shared-use paths and trail infrastructure. Across the Commonwealth, communities along existing trail corridors have seen clear economic, transportation, and quality-of-life benefits. Trails support local tourism, encourage outdoor activity, and provide safer options for people to walk and bike. In the New River Valley, a major regional project underway is connecting the Huckleberry Trail to trail systems in Radford and Roanoke. This connection would link communities, support local economies, and create a continuous corridor that benefits both recreation and everyday transportation. The New River Valley Bicycle Association represents Blacksburg, Radford, and Christiansburg, where much of this trail network is located, and we regularly see the positive impact trails have on our region. HB641 would help Virginia keep pace with other states that are investing in trail infrastructure as a smart, long-term strategy. These investments strengthen communities, improve safety, and enhance access across the Commonwealth.

I am writing to ask you to support HB641, both for its strong economic return on investment and for the safety of people who walk and bike. My friends, many others, and I bicycle throughout Virginia, staying and dining in communities such as Roanoke, Pulaski, Galax, Farmville, and Danville. Other states are investing in facilities that promote bicycle tourism, and it is past time for Virginia to make similar investments. Infrastructure such as the New River Trail not only supports tourism but also provides a safe place to walk and ride while enjoying the outdoors in Virginia. Near my home in Alexandria, I bicycle for transportation—for example, to get to medical appointments—and HB641’s proposed trail funding would enable VDOT to fix broken connections, including those in Fairfax County’s bicycle network.

My name is Gem Bingol, I live in Leesburg and I support HB641 and HB897 and ask for your support as well. Thank you.

My name is Kaleigh Leager, and I am the Assistant Manager, Mid-Atlantic States for the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF). I am writing to you today in support of House Bill 641 (HB 641) – Great Outdoors Act. The passage of this legislation will create a conservation tax on data centers 25,000 ft2 or larger, which will provide crucial funding for the Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) to carry out their vitally important mission of conserving fish, wildlife, and their habitats, that are not only enjoyed and utilized by sportsmen and women, but all residents and visitors of the Commonwealth.

As an organization focused on protecting safe movement pathways for both wildlife and people, Wildlands Network supports the Virginia Great Outdoors Act and the proposed $1 million for wildlife crossings and corridors. Wildlife-vehicle collisions are a preventable and costly threat to Virginians. The Commonwealth consistently ranks in the top 10 nationally for the most crashes, which cost the state over $533 million annually, averaging $60,000 per large-animal collision in emergency response, medical care, vehicle damage, insurance, and roadway impacts. Strategically placed wildlife crossings dramatically reduce these costs. A pilot project along I-64 reduced deer collisions by 96 percent and paid for itself in under two years. Few infrastructure investments deliver comparable return on investment in such a short time. Wildlife corridors also protect the value of prior state investments. Virginia has invested heavily in land conservation, farmland preservation, public lands, and habitat restoration. Without connectivity, these efforts function as isolated assets. Corridors allow them to operate as a system, reducing roadway conflicts, limiting future mitigation costs, and preserving ecosystem services that would otherwise require expensive solutions. Allocating state funds for crossings also improves infrastructure resilience and unlocks federal funding. Larger underpasses and culverts, which allow for wildlife movement, are less prone to blockage or failure during extreme weather. Dedicated funding in the VGOA will enable Virginia to implement shovel-ready projects and compete more effectively for federal transportation and resilience dollars. I urge the Committee to support the Virginia Great Outdoors Act and the $1 million allocation for wildlife crossings and corridors. This is a fiscally responsible investment that reduces long-term costs, strengthens infrastructure, and maximizes the impact of existing conservation funding.

Wild Virginia would like to express our support for HB 641: Virginia's Great Outdoors Act. In addition to helping fund a backlog of maintenance for our state owned parks and conservation lands, HB 641 also aims to direct funds towards critical wildlife corridors and associated wildlife crossing infrastructure priorities outlined in the existing Wildlife Corridor Action Plan. These projects ensure safety for motorists and wildlife in a state ranked within the top 10 nationally for wildlife vehicle collisions. As a former state agency wildlife biologist and land manager of over 9 years in SC and NC, I can assure you the funds created through HB 641 would be welcomed by the state agencies who face limited resources regularly. HB 641 ensures public lands can be enjoyed to their fullest extent now and for generations to come. When our public lands are managed to their fullest potential wildlife benefit, as they utilize these lands as part of their home ranges in an otherwise very fragmented landscape. Given these reasons and more, Wild Virginia respectfully urges you to support HB 641, thank you.

Environment Virginia is a non-profit organization with thousands of members across Virginia. Robust, dedicated funding for conservation and outdoor recreation is a top priority for us and our members. We thank Delegate Krizek for introducing HB 641, the Virginia’s Great Outdoors Act, and express our support for it. Virginia is home to incredible natural beauty and endless opportunities to have fun outdoors. Unfortunately, current funding for conservation is severely lacking. State parks alone face a backlog of $388 million in maintenance projects and many conservation programs face unstable funding through the state budget’s general fund. In order for Virginia to experience the full benefits of its conservation efforts and state park system, consistent funding is needed. Well funded parks and preservation programs are essential to maintaining trails and facilities, funding educational programs, attracting visitors and protecting more places. Virginia’s Great Outdoors Act is the solution. It will provide historic funding for a range of conservation programs including state park operations, deferred maintenance on public lands, the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation, wildlife crossings, trails, new public lands and more. More funding for conservation means more protected wildlife, more lightly-touched, iconic landscapes and more opportunities to get out and experience the great outdoors. It also means strengthening the immeasurable benefits of protecting nature, including clean air, clean water, healthy people and a strong economy. To secure funding for these programs, this bill creates a new tax on data centers of $3 per square foot per year. The data center industry has significant impacts on land and water use, and this will require them to support conservation of the land and natural resources they consume. Significant, dedicated funding is essential to protecting and improving Virginia’s parks and natural ecosystems. We urge you to support HB 641 and invest in conservation so that current and future generations can continue to experience Virginia’s great outdoors.