Rapid data center growth puts West Virginia lawmakers on alert over power, water and noise

Data centers are emerging as a growing topic at the West Virginia Statehouse as lawmakers and economic development officials weigh the industry’s potential benefits against concerns about transparency, water use, noise and electric rates. After attending Data Center World, state officials said the industry is expanding rapidly and that West Virginia has the resources companies are looking for. “West Virginia has some immense natural resources that make us perfect for data centers and this is a wonderful opportunity to bring money into our communities that will immensely, immensely benefit people’s lives,” Del. Tristan Leavitt, R-Kanawha, said. Power remains one of the biggest considerations, officials told lawmakers. Companies want access to major power supplies, and they want it fast. “Everything that we traditionally talk about pales in comparison to what sites need for that, and that is access to major power, but also the speed of power,” Del. Jordan Maynor, R-Raleigh, said. Not everyone is focused only on the economic upside. Lawmakers also raised questions about transparency, water usage, noise, electric rates and how much control local communities would have over proposed projects. Some lawmakers said companies do want to work with communities, but acknowledged that project-specific details may not come until much later in the process. “There are things that need to be ironed out with specific applications. A lot of the questions around water usage or noise pollution or other things like that will depend on specific projects,” Leavitt said. Some delegates also asked what should be said to residents who do not want data centers in their communities. “We have the right to make our voices heard,” one advocate said. “What I do hope is that people will become more educated on the specifics, the facts about data centers, because right now there’s just a lot of misinformation out there, and it seems like a lot of it is focusing on data centers from 15 years ago.” FULL STORY: https://wchstv.com/news/local/rapid-data-center-growth-puts-west-virginia-lawmakers-on-alert-over-power-water-and-noise _________________________________________ Follow WCHS on social media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eyewitnessnewscharleston/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/wchs8fox11​ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wchs8fox11/ For the latest local and national news, visit our website: https://wchstv.com/ Sign up for our newsletter: https://wchstv.com/sign-up