Blackwater Falls near the town of Davis is one of the most photographed places in West Virginia. Residents of the Davis are concerned about how a new gas-burning power plant near Davis to supply electricity to a proposed data center would affect the tourism industry in the area.
Blackwater Falls near the town of Davis is one of the most photographed places in West Virginia. Residents of the Davis are concerned about how a new gas-burning power plant near Davis to supply electricity to a proposed data center would affect the tourism industry in the area.
Gov. Patrick Morrisey got what he wanted from the West Virginia Legislature on Saturday when it passed House Bill 2014 and forwarded it to him for his signature. HB 2014 removes local control from counties and municipalities that are concerned about data centers built within or near their communities Ƶ something that could affect residents of the town of Davis in Tucker County now and other communities in the near future.
In a phone interview this week, Davis Mayor Al Tomson said about 300 people attended a community meeting on Sunday to discuss a plan by Fundamental Data LLC of Purcelville, Virginia, to build a data center near the town of Davis and the nearby city of Thomas. Another 100 maxed out the meetingƵs Zoom feed. That in a town of about 700 people, Tomson said.
Fundamental Data has filed for a permit from the state Department of Environmental Protection to build a power plant on a 500-acre site near Davis. All output from the plant would be used on site instead of going to the regional grid that supplies electricity to residences and businesses. The gas-fired plant would produce about 1.6 million megawatts of electricity, which is slightly more than the Hanging Rock Energy Facility near Ironton, Ohio. Diesel generators would provide backup power, and plans for them require storing 30 million gallons of diesel fuel on site, Tomson said.
Almost no people who attended SundayƵs meeting supported the plan for the plant as proposed, Tomson said Wednesday. About half would support the project if it were built farther away from tourist sites such as Blackwater Falls State Park, and about half donƵt want the data center or the power plant at all, citing concerns about noise, the amount of water they would require, light pollution and impacts on the countyƵs important tourism industry, Tomson said.
HB 2014 prohibits counties and municipalities from enforcing or adopting ordinances, rules or regulations that limit creation, development or operation of any certified microgrid district or high-impact data center project. It also directs property tax revenue away from local governments.
The West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, a progressive policy research group, estimated a $1 billion investment for a data center in Tucker County would result in $2.1 million lost by the county and $3.2 million lost by the school district for a total of $5.4 million in lost property tax revenue, even after 30% of tax revenue is distributed to the county, Tony reported. Part of the money directed to the state would be used to reduce personal income tax rates.
ƵThis is going to supercharge our personal income tax reductions,Ƶ House Environment, Infrastructure and Technology Subcommittee Chair Daniel Linville, R-Cabell, said in a House floor speech Saturday. ƵItƵs going to empower our counties with additional dollars for all of the items they wish to have.Ƶ
What people in Davis want is to protect what they have while welcoming new investment, Tomson said. Local government should be involved in solving local problems, he said.
ƵWe need to find a balance and find a solution thatƵs palatable for all involved,Ƶ he said.
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