WV NAACP demands moratorium on data centers, microgrids; Opposes HB 2014
The West Virginia NAACP unanimously passed a resolution demanding an immediate moratorium on High Impact Data Centers and microgrids, and the repeal of House Bill 2014. The organization argues that HB 2014 strips local control over data center development and raises concerns about water supply, utility rates, and environmental pollution.
The West Virginia NAACP, at its State Convention in Huntington, unanimously adopted a resolution demanding an immediate moratorium on High Impact Data Centers (HIDCs) and associated microgrids. The organization also formally opposes West Virginia House Bill 2014, known as the Power Generation and Consumption Act, which it argues strips local communities of their self-governance rights over such developments.
WV NAACP State Conference President Loretta Young stated that communities statewide are frustrated with the state legislature's disconnection from local realities regarding data center development. She emphasized that local communities should have the final say if they oppose a data center due to concerns over water supply, utility rates, and noise/light pollution, calling the state's intervention an "abuse of power."
The resolution highlights several concerns: West Virginia's high water and sewer bills, rising electricity costs, and the threat data centers pose to water supplies and the strained power grid. It also points out that microgrids, often powered by fossil fuels, contribute to additional pollution. HB 2014, signed into law by Gov. Patrick Morrisey, explicitly prohibits counties and municipalities from enacting ordinances that hinder certified data center and microgrid districts, and it allocates only 30% of data center tax revenue to counties, leaving them to bear infrastructure costs with minimal return.