Residents and recreation businesses near Tucker County, West Virginia, oppose a proposed energy and data-center development over concerns about impacts on outdoor destinations and the region’s dark skies.
The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) issued a construction air permit on Aug. 15, 2025, for a turbine power facility near Thomas. The agency’s review says the application did not include data-center operations or identify who would ultimately use the electricity. The permit allows three above-ground diesel tanks, each with a nominal working capacity of 10 million gallons, and limits their combined annual throughput to 15 million gallons. WVDEP describes the diesel as backup fuel.
From Mar. 26 through July 18, 2025, WVDEP received 1,605 written comments and 18 oral comments on the facility. The agency said most opposed the permit.
Fundamental Data describes Ridgeline as a project for artificial intelligence, cloud computing and enterprise systems. A company representative told NPR that a completed development could cover thousands of acres but gave no final acreage figure. The company projects thousands of construction jobs and more than 500 long-term positions in West Virginia.
NPR reported that residents and outdoor businesses have raised concerns about industrial lighting, pollution and development near skiing and other recreation areas. Chip Chase, operator of White Grass Ski Touring Center, told NPR, “People come here to get away from data centers.” NPR also described a local history of clear-cut logging and coal mining that left environmental damage.
West Virginia’s 2025 H.B. 2014 bars county and municipal rules covering zoning, noise, lighting, viewsheds and land use for certified high-impact data centers and microgrid districts. The restrictions do not automatically apply to every proposal. The Legislature says the law aims to encourage jobs and revenue.
In a June 30 letter to state officials, Fundamental Data said Ridgeline remained conceptual. In a separate letter, Nick Preservati, director of the West Virginia Office of Energy, said withdrawing a violation notice did not exempt a future project from the law.
The West Virginia Air Quality Board upheld the permit on Feb. 5, 2026. West Virginia Public Broadcasting reported that the West Virginia Intermediate Court of Appeals issued separate rulings on Aug. 26: one challenge belonged before the state Supreme Court, while the other was moot after the permit was issued. The groups said they planned to refile with the higher court.
