Local Control and Land Usage
West Virginia is poised to become the next “data center alley,” as recent statewide legislation enabled data center growth by stripping away local control and diverting critical tax dollars away from neighboring communities. Communities should have authority over where and how data centers are built, and local governments should receive property tax revenue to support schools and public services.

Water Overuse
Some data centers in neighboring Virginia consume over 1 million gallons of water per day. For communities nearby proposed data center construction facing drought, this could be debilitating to already strained water sources. Data centers should never be located in areas with water deficits and drought.

Energy Consumption
Data centers are some of the heaviest energy consumers in the country. Yet, West Virginia requires the stockpiling of coal and forced operation of uneconomic coal plants paid for by automatic rate hikes to advance data center development. The energy-intense build-out and maintenance of data centers should not mean higher electricity rates for consumers, strain the power grid, or prevent local communities from accessing and benefitting from clean, affordable energy potential.

Noise and Light Pollution
On site power generation and data center operation increases noise and light pollution for residents and can disrupt local ecosystems services and migratory patterns. Data center noise pollution can reach 96 decibels on-site. Noise pollution affects animals and plants at 40 decibels and can damage hearing at over 70 decibels. The health of local residents and the benefits of ecosystem services should be prioritized in data center siting.

Learn more about West Virginia Citizen Action Group at wvcag.org and contact us at:

Dani Parent (dani@wvcag.org): Executive Director

Morgan King (morgan@wvcag.org): Climate & Energy Program Manager

Tyler Cannon (tyler@wvcag.org): WV Climate Alliance Coordinator