"Shame on Them," Governor Morrisey Says of Fundamental Data
The comments are a remarkable public rebuke of a technology developer by a governor who has enthusiastically tried to lure data centers to West Virginia
Governor Patrick Morrisey blasted Fundamental Data in a social media post Thursday, saying he has long been “worried” about the company, and, “They need to do much better. Shame on them.”
Morrisey made the comments on X, formerly Twitter, following recent news stories about a Fundamental Data engineer who said that he and other company officials “basically wrote the bill” that deregulated the data center industry in West Virginia. That claim sparked pushback by state officials and prompted Fundamental Data to distance itself from the engineer.
The governor made it clear that he was concerned about Fundamental Data long before the most recent stories about the company’s interactions with state officials. Here is Morrisey’s post on X in its entirety (the “representative” refers to Fundamental Data engineer Ted McGavran):
“This so-called representative is fabricating this story — he should be ashamed of himself. No respectable company would allow someone who represents them to mislead the media and the public like this. I’ve been worried about how this company has handled itself from the beginning. They need to do much better. Shame on them.”
Country Roads News sought a response from Fundamental Data to the governor’s comments. This story will be updated if Fundamental Data responds.
Morrisey posted his comment on what is labeled his “campaign & personal” X account, not his official account as governor of the state.
More disputes
The governor’s comments continue a recent pattern of tense exchanges between state officials and Fundamental Data, the Virginia company that wants to build a power plant and data center complex near Davis and Thomas. Three weeks ago, Fundamental Data and state officials clashed briefly over whether the company had missed a key deadline, with state officials ultimately backtracking.
Morrisey’s comments Thursday marked a rare moment of agreement between the governor and Tucker United, a local organization that opposes the proposed data center project.
“Gov. Morrisey is absolutely right,” said Tucker United spokeswoman Nikki Forrester. “Fundamental Data has repeatedly demonstrated that the people of Tucker County are not its priority. It’s time to move forward without Fundamental Data.”
Tucker United has previously complained that Morrisey and other state elected officials were too cozy with data center developers.
Forrester called for economic development projects with more transparency and community engagement. “We look forward to working with the governor to put a plan together that protects the health, safety, and quality of life of all our residents and the community,” she said.
As far as the truth, my money is on the engineer. Morrisey is a proven liar & miscreant who helped unleash the opioid epidemic on WV. ALEC (the American Legislative Exchange Council), a right-wing think-tank who drafts and shares conservative legislation for distribution among state governments, writes boiler plate laws for the WV legislature routinely. Do a bit of research.
Thank you for your real journalism for our area!