WV data center secrecy and pollution issues loom large amid growing AI risks
West Virginia's push to attract data centers, championed by Gov. Patrick Morrisey, is facing scrutiny over potential environmental and health impacts, and increased electricity and water demands. Two new reports highlight these risks, with one study identifying several WV counties among those with the highest health costs linked to data center energy consumption. Meanwhile, a deal has been struck for an AI data center involving Nscale and Anthropic in Mason County.
Reports released by the Environmental Protection Network and AI research firm Anthropic highlight significant environmental, health, and security concerns related to West Virginia's push to become a hub for data centers.
The Environmental Protection Network's report, comprising former EPA experts, found that the increasing electricity demand from AI data centers poses substantial health risks to Americans. It cited a 2024 study that identified six West Virginia counties—Marion, Mason, Marshall, Taylor, Brooke, and Jackson—among the top ten nationwide for household data center health costs in 2023. These impacts are attributed partly to the state's coal-fired power plants supplying electricity to data centers, including those in neighboring Virginia. The report projects public health costs from data centers could reach up to $20.9 billion by 2028, potentially leading to 1,300 premature deaths.
Separately, Anthropic's report raised alarms about the rapid development of AI security threats, with its models allegedly accessed by criminal hacking enterprises and foreign state security officials. This comes after former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon publicly resigned, expressing concerns about AI's potential to destroy humanity.
Despite these concerns, a deal has been finalized where United Kingdom-headquartered AI infrastructure firm Nscale will rent 460-megawatts of computing power to Anthropic in a Mason County, West Virginia, setup. The project is backed by state taxpayer support and is expected to be operational in late 2027.