West Virginia agriculture commissioner warns data centers could threaten valuable farmland
West Virginia Agriculture Commissioner Kent Leonhardt is urging data center developers to avoid productive farmland in Mason County and to route related transmission lines through existing utility corridors when possible. The proposed Monarch Compute Campus and Tamarack Data Center could bring major investment and tax revenue, but officials are weighing potential effects on farmland, agricultural operations, water, and the electric grid.
West Virginia Agriculture Commissioner Kent Leonhardt warned that large data center projects and the transmission infrastructure needed to power them could permanently reduce farmland along the Ohio River. He urged developers to prioritize less productive or previously industrialized land and encouraged utilities to use existing rights-of-way to limit disruption to farms.
The concerns involve Nscale's proposed Monarch Compute Campus near Point Pleasant, which could cover up to 2,250 acres, and Starwood Digital Ventures' Tamarack Data Center, both in Mason County. The projects have announced combined first-phase investments of $76.9 billion and could eventually generate substantial property tax revenue, although those estimates depend on the developments reaching their proposed scale.
Leonhardt said the state can pursue economic development while protecting agricultural land and respecting private property rights. His comments come as regulators consider the Mid-Atlantic Resiliency Link transmission project and as West Virginia's 2025 Power Generation and Consumption Act establishes a framework for high-impact data centers and associated power generation.