Residents Attend Packed Town Hall on Data Center
Residents of Warwood, Wheeling, West Virginia, packed a town hall meeting to express concerns about a proposed data center by Silicon Energy LLC. Organized by W.Va. Del. Shawn Fluharty, the meeting highlighted the lack of transparency surrounding the project and the implications of state legislation (HB 2014) that removes local control over data center developments. Community members voiced worries about environmental impact, utility strain, and the absence of clear information.
A large number of residents from Warwood, a neighborhood in Wheeling, West Virginia, attended an impromptu town hall meeting to address concerns regarding a proposed data center. The meeting, organized by W.Va. Delegate Shawn Fluharty, focused on a development by Silicon Energy LLC on the former Centre Foundry & Machine Company property, with South Carolina-based Stokes Energy Inc. named as the project's contractor. Many residents and local officials expressed surprise and frustration over the lack of transparency, having learned about the project through social media.
Del. Fluharty voiced strong opposition to W.Va. House Bill 2014, passed last year, which he argues removes local control over high-impact data centers, including local noise ordinances. He highlighted the lack of requirements for community hearings and questioned the local economic benefits, stating that only 30% of tax revenue returns to the host county. The proposed Silicon Energy facility is planned to expand to 100 megawatts, qualifying it as a "high-impact" data center under HB 2014, requiring certification from the West Virginia Department of Commerce.
Wheeling City Councilman Tony Assaro and Vice Mayor Jerry Sklavounakis echoed residents' frustration, particularly about the lack of communication from the developer and the state's preemption of local authority. Citizens shared concerns about electricity and water consumption, as well as the overall impact on their mostly residential neighborhood. W.Va. Senator Laura Wakin Chapman, who voted for HB 2014, attended and briefly spoke, defending the bill's regulatory aspects but also expressing dissatisfaction with the company's lack of transparency and the need for a fact-finding task force involving local officials and the company.