How Residents Of A W.Va. Tourist Destination Are Responding To Data Center Development
Fundamental Data is proposing a large data center complex and power plant near Davis and Thomas in Tucker County, prompting strong community opposition over environmental risks, water use, diesel storage and the project’s fit with the region’s tourism economy. West Virginia law largely exempts state-certified microgrid projects from local zoning and other regulations, leaving local governments with limited control despite opposition from residents and Tucker United.
Fundamental Data’s proposal near the Tucker County towns of Davis and Thomas includes a major power plant and potentially a 10,000-acre data center campus. The company initially outlined natural-gas generation supported by roughly 30 million gallons of diesel storage, while also discussing solar and possibly nuclear power. Residents and environmental advocates have raised concerns about emissions, fuel spills near the Blackwater River and an elementary school, as well as unknown water requirements for cooling the plant and data centers.
The project has divided the community, with some residents supporting potential construction jobs but a larger contingent arguing that the development conflicts with Tucker County’s tourism-based economy. Davis officials passed a resolution opposing the facility and later adopted an industrial noise ordinance, but a 2025 state law exempts certified microgrid projects from local zoning, noise and light regulations and redirects much local tax revenue to the state. The project’s air-quality permit has been approved, but Fundamental Data has not sought microgrid certification, and opponents organized as Tucker United continue to challenge the development while its future remains uncertain.