Eric C. Bonds
Professor of Sociology
- Fredericksburg VA UNITED STATES
Dr. Bonds studies and writes about climate change and environmental politics in Virginia.
Social
Biography
Areas of Expertise
Education
University of Wyoming
B.A.
Undergraduate Studies
2001
University of Colorado
Ph.D.
Graduate Studies
2011
Media Appearances
AI data centers, explained: Why do tech companies request NDAs? What’s a moratorium?
PolitiFact online
2026-09-29
The government parties involved in the NDAs vary, but can include an elected county leader, a city lawyer or economic development official, said Eric Bonds, a University of Mary Washington sociology associate professor.
The data center backlash is reshaping American politics — one community at a time
WABE online
2026-09-23
A study led by Eric Bonds, a sociology professor at the University of Mary Washington, found that in 31 Virginia localities where there was an existing, approved or proposed data center, nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) had been signed for 25 of them.
In Louisiana, NDAs covered up a data center deal that residents didn't know was coming
WUNC online
2026-08-27
So, I think, you know, just across a board is a standard practice. After we published our research in a statewide news organization called Virginia Mercury, we heard back from reporters and activists kind of around the country from Arizona, Indiana, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania.
NDAs are hiding data center deals, drawing ire from locals — and attention from lawmakers
NPR; WDC News online
2026-08-27
Eric Bonds is a professor and environmental sociologist at the University of Mary Washington in Virginia. He and his research partner found that NDAs were used in at least 25 of 31 data center projects they surveyed there last year. He said NDAs seem to be "standard practice."
The Main Lesson from DEQ’s Groundwater Report: Va. Must Budget To Live Within Environmental Limits
The Main Lesson from DEQ’s Groundwater Report: Va. Must Budget To Live Within Environmental Limits online
2026-08-19
The timing of the release of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality’s report on groundwater availability last month was suspicious, given that it was completed in January but not made available to lawmakers or the public until several months after the General Assembly’s legislative session. The science presented in the report is impressive, while its findings are alarming.
Four Va. counties will pump almost 20 million gallons of water a day to Amazon. Cause for concern?
Rappahannock News; Virginia Mercury online
2026-06-22
We wanted to learn for ourselves how much water local communities have promised to Amazon for data center cooling in our part of the state, the region between Northern Virginia and Richmond, including Louisa, Spotsylvania, Caroline and Stafford Counties.
Local governments race to attract data centers, often in spite of concerns from their constituents
Virginia Mercury; Yahoo News online
2026-04-24
Research by University of Mary Washington professor Eric Bonds and his students found evidence that non-disclosure agreements are commonly signed between localities in Virginia and data center developers, allowing projects to move forward with little to no public participation.
How NDAs keep AI data center details hidden from Americans
MSN; NBC News online
2025-10-28
Eric Bonds, a sociology and anthropology professor at the University of Mary Washington, said that’s the whole point. Bonds led a research study that found 25 of 31 localities in Virginia with proposed or existing data centers have NDAs in place. “They can pose quality-of-life kinds of impacts for neighbors who live next door, and when the public isn’t fully informed, that can inhibit debate,” Bonds said.
Commentary: Are data centers the devil’s bargains for the next generation?
Richmond Times-Dispatch; The Daily Progress) online
2025-10-09
We all want what’s best for the next generation. But it’s not always clear how we can achieve that better future. More difficult still, the perfectly reasonable decisions we make today may have unintended and adverse consequences down the road. This begs the question: as the data center industry booms across Virginia, are we doing what’s best for today’s youth?
Virginia has one of the highest utility disconnection rates in the nation. The data center boom will make things worse
Cardinal News online
2025-08-22
According to the Energy Justice Lab at Indiana University, Dominion Energy disconnected 339,000 households from electrical service in Virginia for nonpayment in 2024.
Public officials reconsider NDA process amid Project Blue outrage
Arizona Luminaria online
2025-08-04
Secrecy is not uncommon for data center projects, but Eric Bonds, a professor of sociology at University of Mary Washington, said it raises concerns about what the use of non-disclosure agreements means for the democratic process related to massive projects like data centers. “Part of due diligence for elected officials is to know the company so they can scrutinize how it can behave elsewhere,” said Bonds, who has written for several news sites on his concerns about data centers in Virginia, where he is based.
Va.’s failure to protect crucial HIV/AIDS services sets ominous precedent
FXBG Advance online
2025-07-07
About 25,000 Virginians are living with HIV and proposed federal cuts to health care funding put their care at risk.
How confidentiality agreements around a proposed data center could impact Indianapolis' development
WFYI online
2025-06-26
Democracy – some say – dies in the dark. But that is exactly where many data center deals are born and live,” Eric Bonds, a sociology professor at the University of Mary Washington, wrote in an online commentary.
For data center sustainability in Virginia, state regulation is a must
Chesapeake Bay Journal online
2025-05-19
Spreading out from Northern Virginia, data centers are being proposed in communities across the Chesapeake Bay region.
Fredericksburg residents gather to discuss the pros and cons of data centers
The Free Lance-Star online
2025-02-03
The panelists were Fredericksburg Mayor Kerry Devine, Daren Shumate, who said he has been designing data centers for 25 years, Tracy Vargo, Brent Hunsinger of the FOR and University of Mary Washington sociology professor Eric Bonds.
Can "Blue Zones" be a solution to environmental injustice?
Environmental Health News online
2022-10-27
“When we say environmental racism people think about Hurricane Katrina or Cancer Alley in Louisiana,” Eric Bonds, associate professor of sociology at the University of Mary Washington, told EHN. “However, environmental injustice and racism is all around us.”
New community garden grows in Bragg Hill neighborhood
The Free Lance-Star print
2022-09-22
The project is a joint effort of UMW, Fredericksburg City Parks and Recreation and Kingdom Family Worship Center and is made possible in part by a grant from the Community Foundation of the Rappahannock Region.
New community garden grows in Bragg Hill neighborhood
The Free Lance-Star
2022-09-22
The project is a joint effort of UMW, Fredericksburg City Parks and Recreation and Kingdom Family Worship Center and is made possible in part by a grant from the Community Foundation of the Rappahannock Region.
Articles
Data Centers, Non-disclosure Agreements and Democracy
Virginia MercuryEric Bonds and Viktor Newby
2025-04-30
We fear that the widespread use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and a larger ethic of secrecy regarding data-center development curtails meaningful debate and impairs local democracy, write guest columnists Dr. Eric Bonds and Viktor Newby.
To See a Recent Win for Democracy, Look no Further Than Virginia. But the Work Must Continue.
Virginia MercuryEric Bonds
2025-03-20
While the influence of money has seemingly intensified in Washington, Virginia legislators have taken a serious step to reduce corruption at the state level, writes guest columnist Eric Bonds.
Data Centers and Virginia’s Special Kind of Denialism
Virginia MercuryEric Bonds
2024-12-02
The reelection of Donald Trump shows the continued prevalence of climate denialism, which involves a rejection of the scientific consensus that human activity is changing the climate. As in his first term, Trump will no doubt try to hold our country back in the race to slow climate change by phasing out fossil fuels.
Historical Environmental Injustice Excavation: The Intentional—and Illegal—Origins of Environmental Inequality in Hopewell, VA
Mary Ann Liebert Inc. Publishing CompanyEric Bonds
2022-08-09
There is a growing desire across our country to understand the ways that historical injustices in America's racist past set the groundwork for today's racial inequalities. Scholars, students, and activists might meet this moment by conducting historical environmental injustice excavation. To demonstrate the multiple benefits of this straightforward and accessible case-study method, I present research on Hopewell, a small industrial city in Virginia.
Challenging Global Warming's New “Security Threat” Status
Journal of Social Justice2015-04-09
Our particular historical era is beset by monumental challenges, one of the foremost of which is climate change...
UMW Research Team Presents at Public Sociology Conference
Eagle Eye2014-10-21
Undergraduates Beatrice Ohene-Okae (Environmental Science) and Zakaria Kronemer (Philosophy) presented their research project, “Studying Carbon Violence,” with Assistant Professor of Sociology Eric Bonds at George Mason’s annual public sociology conference, which this year was titled “(Re)Visions of the Future: Public Sociology, Environmental...
Bonds Publishes New Social Problems Text
Eagle Eye2014-06-10
Eric Bonds, assistant professor of sociology, recently published a new book with Routledge Press, titled "Social Problems: A Human Rights Perspective." The book is based on Bonds’ teaching approach in his Social Issues class at UMW, in which he...
Talk Nation Radio: Eric Bonds on War and the Environment
Before Its News.com2015-12-08
Talk Nation Radio: Eric Bonds on War and the Environment
