State Air Quality Regulators Approve Permit for Power Plant Near Thomas
Opposition group Tucker United vows to continue fighting the facility, which is intended provide electricity for a data center complex.
The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection has approved a permit for Fundamental Data to build a power plant near Thomas, ruling that the proposal will “meet all applicable state and federal air quality rules and regulations.”
The ruling was expected given comments by state regulators at a public meeting on June 30. The power plant is expected to supply electricity for multiple data centers that would be built nearby.
The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) said it received 1,605 written comments from the public about the permit application, with most of them expressing opposition to the power plant.
Most of the public comments about the air quality permit were outside the scope of regulators’ technical review of the application, the DEP stated.
However, some of the comments raised relevant regulatory issues, the DEP stated. Those comments, along with feedback from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, prompted changes to the permit including revisions related to formaldehyde emissions and limits, a requirement for hourly rather than daily monitoring of natural gas and diesel fuel consumption, and other provisions.
Tucker United, a group formed to fight the power plant and data center complex, issued a statement vowing to continue opposing the project.
“We are extremely disappointed in the WV DEP’s failure to uphold their mission to help protect the air, water, and land of WV by issuing an air quality permit to Fundamental Data,” Tucker United stated.
Tucker United noted that community feedback led to changes in the permit. “Our community will continue to fight where WV DEP has failed to uphold its mission to promote a healthy environment,” Tucker United stated.
Is there a map that shows where the power plant and data center buildings will be and where the access road will connect with existing roads?
Thanks as always for your timely reporting but all I can say is UGH!!!! This is SO wrong.