About this site
Why we built it
West Virginia is being remade, fast. Gas plants, data centers, transmission lines, and industrial solar are being proposed across the state, often announced before the people who live nearby have heard a word about them. A 2025 state law, HB 2014, took away counties' power to decide where many of these projects go. Key documents are kept confidential. Decisions that will shape our land, water, electric bills, and communities for generations are being made quickly and far from the people who will live with them.
We built this site because people can't have a say in decisions they can't see. Our goal is simple: put the facts in one place, with sources for every claim, so West Virginians can understand what's coming, talk it through with their neighbors, and decide for themselves what they want.
What we believe
Good decisions come from informed people deliberating together. That means reliable facts, honest disagreement, and the chance to be heard before a decision is made, not after.
Land use is not a left or right issue. Farmers, hunters, business owners, retirees, and families of every political stripe share a stake in what happens to their county. Local control has long been a West Virginia value, and many of the people now asking for it have never been involved in politics before.
We don't oppose every project, and we don't claim to have every answer. We believe communities deserve a real voice in their own future.
What could be done
These are ideas being discussed in communities and in the Legislature. We list them to start a conversation, not to end one. If you have ideas, tell us.
- Restore local control.
- Repeal or amend HB 2014 so counties and towns can once again apply zoning, noise, lighting, and land use rules to data centers and microgrid districts.
- Make the process public.
- End the confidentiality of data center certification applications, and require public notice and public hearings before projects are approved, not after.
- Keep the money local.
- Change the tax formula so host counties and their schools receive the property tax revenue they would get from any other large development.
- Protect electric customers.
- Restore Public Service Commission oversight of rates and service in microgrid districts, and require large data centers to pay the full cost of the power and grid upgrades they need, so households and small businesses don't foot the bill.
- Protect land, air, and water.
- Require independent studies of water use, air quality, noise, and health impacts before approval, with monitoring after.
- Plan the future we want.
- Invest in the economy West Virginia already has — farms, tourism, outdoor recreation, trades, and small business — and give counties the tools to plan for it.
How to hold officials accountable
- Know who represents you.
- Look up your state delegate and senator at wvlegislature.gov, and learn who sits on your county commission and planning commission.
- Know how they voted.
- Check how your legislators voted on HB 2014 and related bills. We're building a record of those votes on this site.
- Show up.
- County commission and planning commission meetings are open to the public, and most allow public comment. A room full of residents changes the conversation.
- Speak on the record.
- When state agencies and the Public Service Commission open public comment periods on permits, rules, and projects, submit comments. They become part of the official record.
- Ask for documents.
- West Virginia's Freedom of Information Act gives you the right to request public records from state and local agencies. Many important facts on this site came from records requests.
- Talk to your neighbors.
- Share what you learn. Host a kitchen-table conversation. Join or start a local group — seeCommunity Groups.
- Vote.
- Every delegate, every senator, and many county officials are on the ballot. Ask candidates where they stand on local control before you vote.
Stay informed
Subscribe to our Newsletter (opens in a new tab) for updates, and send us tips and corrections. If you know about a project, a meeting, or a document we should include, we want to hear from you.
How this site works
An independent, public record of data center and energy projects in West Virginia and the laws that govern them.
How we gather information
Projects are added by hand from public records and news reports: the WV Public Service Commission, WV Department of Environmental Protection permits, state and company announcements, county meeting agendas, and regional news outlets. Every project lists its sources and the date we last checked it.
Bill information is pulled automatically from LegiScan and checked against wvlegislature.gov.
Disclosure
The site's creator also leads Hardy Land Alliance, one of the groups listed on this site.
Corrections and tips
If something here is wrong or out of date, or you know about a project we're missing, please let us know. A way to send corrections is coming soon.