Democrats take aim at West Virginia’s law on data centers
West Virginia Democrats are advocating for changes to House Bill 2014, a state law that they argue overrides local zoning and building regulations for certified high-impact data centers. They also raised concerns about transparency regarding water usage by these facilities. The legislative push comes after the Republican-passed bill, which affects local control and revenue sharing, drew criticism from local officials and community members.
West Virginia Democrats, gathered in Canaan Valley for interim legislative meetings, launched a public campaign to amend House Bill 2014, a state law designed to attract high-impact data centers. House Minority Leader Sean Hornbuckle, D-Cabell, criticized the bill for setting a "dangerous precedent" by overriding local zoning, noise, viewshed, and land use ordinances, as well as local building permits and code enforcement for certified data center projects.
Delegate Evan Hansen, D-Monongalia, emphasized the need to restore local control and improve transparency regarding data centers' water supply, urging developers to communicate their water sourcing and protection plans to communities. The controversial Ridgeline Facility, a proposed data center in the Canaan Valley area featuring a 785-megawatt gas-fired power plant, was highlighted, though it is not yet state-certified. The article also referenced two existing certified projects: a $4 billion, 548-acre campus by Penzance in Berkeley County and Google's multibillion-dollar campus in Buffalo, Putnam County, which aims for 100% renewable energy.
Delegate Kayla Young, D-Kanawha, also voiced concerns about the bill's revenue distribution, noting that 50% of the generated revenue would go to the state, leaving only 30% for the host county, thereby reducing local benefits. The Democrats assert that despite the bill's final passage in 2025 by a Republican supermajority, it is "not too late to fix it" and restore local autonomy over data center development.