Charleston Gazette-Mail – Nationwide, communities are pushing back against data centers and the fossil fuel polluting power plants that come with them. Many localities have successfully urged their governments to pass temporary moratoriums on the developments while the localities study the effects data centers might have on their water supply, land use and more. Some localities have simply denied permits outright.
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If Gov. Patrick Morrisey and the Legislature get their way, communities in West Virginia won’t hold that ability to push back thanks to the pro-data center House Bill 2014 that became law this year. Among other goals, one part of the bill allows anointed “high impact” data centers and “certified” microgrids to bypass all aspects of local control.
When the Legislature returns to Charleston in January, it must return local control to local communities rather than bureaucrats in the Secretary of Commerce’s office.
