Davis Council Votes to Oppose Data Center Complex
Plus, Gov. Morrisey’s legislative victory tour bypasses Tucker County, and Davis recreation trail expands
The Davis Town Council voted, 5-0, Saturday to express its opposition to a proposed data center complex between Davis and Thomas, marking the first time a Tucker County governmental body has taken an official stand on the issue.
The vote on the resolution followed an impassioned presentation Wednesday to the town council by Tucker United, a group formed recently to oppose the facility.
Among numerous other concerns, opponents of the data center complex said the 30 million gallons of diesel fuel stored at the facility would threaten the region’s water supply, dramatically increase truck traffic through the area, and create an extreme safety hazard for a school less than a mile from the proposed site.
Ed Rader, a retired local physician, said the facility also would blanket nearby towns in a “red-hot danger zone” of air pollution.
“This is a reckless gamble with our lives and our livelihood,” Beth Boehme, a health-care worker and a representative of Tucker United, said during the presentation.
The data center proposal calls for a 1,656-megawatt power plant on site running around the clock on natural gas and diesel fuel. Davis Mayor Al Tomson said the plant would produce enough electricity to power 50 to 100 data centers, raising concerns that the data center complex might eventually cover several square miles.
Nobody at the meeting spoke in favor of the data center complex.
Diesel fuel worries
Tomson said he is especially concerned that the power plant would store 30 million gallons of diesel fuel on site in three large tanks. He estimated it would require 3,000 large tanker trucks to fill the storage tanks. The storage tanks would have to be refilled often because diesel fuel has a relatively short shelf life.
“I personally am not willing to sell the people’s health in this community for a revenue stream,” Tomson said.
After the presentation to the town council Wednesday night, Tomson said the council would vote at its next meeting in two weeks on a resolution expressing the town’s opposition to the data center complex. However, Tomson decided to expedite the vote and held a virtual meeting on Saturday, where members of the town council voted unanimously to adopt the resolution.
The resolution states that the Davis Town Council opposes building the data center complex anywhere in Tucker County. The resolution notes the importance of tourism to the regional economy, and criticizes the state legislature for enacting a law earlier this year that stripped local communities of any authority to control the development of data center complexes in their jurisdictions.
Tucker United will be working in the weeks ahead to get other local municipalities and the County Commission to take a position on the data center complex.
Tucker United also is holding a community meeting from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Davis to provide information about the proposed data center complex and answer questions from the audience. The event is free, although Tucker United is asking that people RSVP to attend.
No sign of Governor Morrisey
Gov. Patrick Morrisey has been traveling the state in recent weeks, holding press conferences and other events to tout his accomplishments during the recently completed state legislative session. Since May 9, Morrisey has scheduled appearances in Summersville, Parkersburg, Clendenin, Wheeling, Hedgesville, Martinsburg, Charles Town, Welch, and Beckley.
However, there has been no sign of Morrisey in Tucker County, where he would likely face tough questioning and protests over the new “microgrid” law the governor championed, which stripped local governments of the ability to block or regulate data centers in their jurisdictions.
When asked via email whether Morrisey will visit Tucker County, a spokesperson for the governor replied, “We will let you know when Governor Morrisey will be in the area.”
At an event Sunday at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Davis, Mayor Al Tomson said he has contacted Morrisey’s office seeking a meeting with the governor, and he encouraged Morrisey to visit the area to hear directly from Tucker County residents. “I challenge Governor Morrisey to man-up. I encourage Governor Morrisey to have a man-to-man conversation about this issue,” Tomson said, drawing a roar of approval from the crowd.
About 100 people attended Sunday’s event, hosted by Tucker United.
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Walking and Biking Trail Extended Along Blackwater River in Davis
Earlier this year the town of Davis built a walking and biking trail in Riverfront Park. That trail was recently extended on an adjacent parcel of land that was donated to an environmental nonprofit.
The trail now extends from the shoreline behind Big Timber Brewing, which recently opened a location in Davis, to the Highway 32 bridge on the east end of Davis. Funding for the most recent section of the trail was provided by Friends of the Blackwater, Blackwater Bicycle Association, Tucker Community Foundation, and Davis Riverwalk developer Pete Johnson.
Future plans call for a pedestrian bridge over the Blackwater River that will connect the new walking and biking trail to Blackwater Falls State Park.
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