This page highlights some of Saddam’s priorities on this issue and is not a full list of his positions. Have a question or idea we haven’t covered? Get in touch with us HERE.

Senator Salim recognizes that climate change is an existential threat. Having survived the 1994-95 Bangladesh drought which led to a massive food and drinking water shortage and the 1998 floods that killed over 1,000 and submerged 67% of the country, he understands the urgency of acting and making Virginia more climate resilient. In the Senate, he has fought to ensure our home is healthy for generations to come.

Saddam supports environmental protection measures because Virginia’s coastal communities are on the front lines of climate change, and time is not on our side. He supports investing in the renewable energy sector that will create millions of good-paying union jobs while protecting our environment and strengthening our economy. Protecting the environment means rebuilding our infrastructure, clean energy jobs in every corner of Virginia, and a sustainable future for the next generation.

As a Virginia State Senator, he fought back against Republican efforts to weaken the Virginia Clean Economy Act, RGGI, and Clean Car standards. Senator Salim also believes that increased funding for public transportation and pedestrian/bike infrastructure is crucial to fighting climate change. That’s why he supported dedicated funding for Metro, carried legislation to prohibit unscientific and burdensome regulation on solar energy, and fought for electric vehicle infrastructure and incentives. In Congress, Senator Salim will push to rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement and once again make the United States a global leader on climate change.

Let's Talk Data Centers

Locking us into more fossil fuels
Piedmont Environmental Council (PJM) projects that nearly all electricity demand growth through 2045 will come from data centers, and Dominion Energy says it cannot meet that demand without keeping coal on the grid and expanding gas plants. Virginians are being pushed toward a future with more pollution and higher climate risks instead of a clean energy transition.

Millions of gallons of water every day
A single data center can use millions of gallons of water a day depending on its cooling system. These huge buildings also create acres of hard surfaces, sending more polluted stormwater into local rivers and streams that many communities rely on for drinking water.

Communities pay the price while corporations profit
Too many data centers are being approved next to parks, homes, schools, medical facilities, and nursing homes, forcing neighbors to live with nonstop noise, fleets of diesel generators, and other industrial impacts that do not belong in residential communities. At the same time, Virginians are subsidizing this build out through higher electric bills and massive state tax breaks, while a handful of large corporations reap the rewards.

What Senator Salim can do in Congress

National standards for smarter planning
In Congress, Senator Salim will push for federal planning and siting standards that guide where large data centers can be built and require agencies to track their cumulative impacts on our energy grid, climate goals, land, and communities. He will support legislation that ties federal permits, tax incentives, and financing to strong regional and statewide planning, so no community is left to face these impacts alone.

Giving local governments the tools they need
Senator Salim will advocate for federal rules and guidance that require local decision makers to consider regional pollution, grid reliability, and land use impacts before approving major data center projects. He will work to direct federal agencies to provide better data, technical assistance, and funding so local governments are not outmatched by corporate lobbyists in the zoning and permitting process.

Making industry pay its fair share
He will work to end sweetheart tax breaks and hidden subsidies that shift the true cost of data center growth onto families and small businesses. He will champion policies that require the industry to pay for the grid upgrades and infrastructure it needs, so federal and state dollars can go to schools, transit, and housing instead of corporate giveaways.

Stronger protections and mitigation for communities
Senator Salim will fight for federal safeguards that limit siting near vulnerable communities and require robust, enforceable mitigation paid for by developers. That includes stronger environmental justice protections, health and noise standards, and funding for community benefits so the people living next to these facilities see real investments, not just impacts.