WV leaders pledge ratepayer and water protections in new data center principles - The Dominion Post
West Virginia leaders, led by Gov. Patrick Morrisey, unveiled a seven-point Responsible Data Center Development Plan to guide data center growth in the state. This plan aims to attract data centers while protecting ratepayers, water resources, and local communities, contrasting with other states implementing moratoriums. It outlines principles for comprehensive planning, tax revenue, electric ratepayer safeguards, and environmental protections.
CHARLESTON, WV – Governor Patrick Morrisey, alongside officials from the Department of Commerce and leaders of the House of Delegates and state Senate, unveiled the West Virginia Responsible Data Center Development Plan. This seven-point framework is designed to guide data center expansion in the state for the next two decades, ensuring it benefits residents without compromising West Virginia's natural beauty or well-being.
The plan complements House Bill 2014, the Power Generation and Consumption Act passed last year, which aims to attract data centers by streamlining development, offering regulatory exemptions in microgrid districts, and establishing a new tax distribution framework. The new principles focus on comprehensive planning, requiring developers to prove financial capacity and commitment, and ensuring projected benefits outweigh infrastructure and environmental costs.
Key aspects include ensuring data center revenue increases tax collections at all state levels, with a portion allocated to a personal income tax reduction fund and local counties. Crucially, the plan introduces a “Ratepayer Protection Pledge,” mandating developers to procure or build their own energy resources to prevent electricity price increases for West Virginia families and small businesses. It also emphasizes water protections, with facilities remaining subject to Department of Environmental Protection rules, and addresses local control concerns by creating a Data Advisory Council to set requirements for setbacks, noise, and aesthetics.
While other states like New York have enacted data center moratoriums, West Virginia is proactively embracing growth with protective measures. State leaders, including Senate President Randy Smith and House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, expressed support for the plan, aiming to balance economic development with community and environmental safeguards. Jennie Smith of the West Virginia Rivers Coalition offered cautious optimism, emphasizing the need for continued transparency and community voice in the plan's enforcement.