Position Statement: Data Centers in Jefferson County and West Virginia: Impacts, Risks, and the Path Forward

Data centers are expanding rapidly across West Virginia, especially in Jefferson County, driven by proximity to Northern Virginia’s Data Center Alley and access to major transmission lines. Multiple high‑impact data centers have already been proposed across the state—including several in Jefferson County—yet the public has no clear picture of their number, scale, or cumulative impact.

These facilities bring the promise of economic activity, but under current state law they also introduce serious risks—fiscal, environmental, constitutional, and community‑based—that West Virginians have little power to evaluate or challenge.

The Transparency Problem

West Virginians cannot make informed decisions about projects that affect their water, land, taxes, and infrastructure when the law allows companies to withhold critical information. Current statute shields details about location, water use, emissions, engineering, and financial impacts. This secrecy prevents residents from understanding the scale of these projects or appealing decisions that affect their communities. A right that cannot be exercised is a right denied.

Loss of Local Authority

Data centers are being approved under a framework that sidelines counties and municipalities. Traditional local powers—land use, zoning, environmental protection, and public health—have been weakened or removed. Decisions that shape the future of Jefferson County are being made in Charleston or behind closed doors, not by the people who live with the consequences.

Fiscal Impacts on Counties and Schools

Under current law, only 30% of property tax revenue from high‑impact data centers stays in the county where the facility is built. The remaining 70% is diverted to state‑level funds, including the Personal Income Tax Reduction Fund, which does not return money to local governments or public schools. This structure shifts costs onto counties already managing rapid growth, strained infrastructure, and rising classroom needs.

Environmental and Water‑Resource Risks

Jefferson County’s karst limestone geology makes its groundwater uniquely vulnerable. Large data centers can require millions of gallons of water per day for cooling, placing pressure on rivers, municipal systems, and drinking‑water sources. Without public access to environmental data, residents cannot assess risks to water quality, stream flow, or treatment costs. West Virginia’s history has shown the consequences of ignoring environmental transparency.

Community Impact and Public Opposition

More than 900 public comments submitted to the Department of Commerce expressed overwhelming concern about secrecy, water use, emissions, noise, viewshed impacts, and the loss of local control. Jefferson County’s tourism economy—built on historic landscapes, outdoor recreation, and rural character—faces particular risk from industrial‑scale facilities sited without public input.

My Commitment

As a candidate for House of Delegates District 99, I will work to repeal or significantly amend the laws governing high‑impact data centers to restore transparency, protect local authority, and ensure that these facilities operate under strict, enforceable constraints. Economic development must strengthen communities—not silence them, burden them, or put their water, schools, and constitutional rights at risk.

West Virginians deserve a future where growth is responsible, transparent, and accountable to the people who call this state home.

Thanks for your time,

Rob Vincent

“Honest work, Real solutions, A Better West Virginia”