In Tucker County, West Virginia, Fundamental Data, a Virginia-based company, applied for an air permit for the 'Ridgeline Facility' — a natural gas power plant and data center campus between Thomas and Davis that could span 10,000 acres across Tucker and Grant counties (1.7GW). The West Virginia DEP issued an air quality permit authorizing construction of a 785MW natural-gas-fired power plant with diesel backup generators. In February 2026, the West Virginia Air Quality Board upheld the air permit, denying appeals from Tucker United, the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, and the Sierra Club. The board sided with developers despite two days of testimony from citizen groups. Opposition groups argue the project threatens the area's tourism-based economy and rural character. A state law passed in 2025 stripped local authority over data center siting. On April 14, 2026, the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy issued a new action alert urging members to contact legislators and the WVDEP over the Fundamental Data LLC project, confirming the 1,656-MW gas-plant-plus-data-center near Thomas and Davis is still advancing. WV Commerce officials publicly clarified the project is proceeding. The West Virginia Air Quality Board ruled in favor of developers on February 7, 2026. UPDATE 2026-04-25: On April 21, 2026, the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, Tucker United, and Sierra Club filed a motion in the WV Intermediate Court of Appeals seeking the recusal of Chief Judge Dan Greear from the Ridgeline air permit appeal. The motion cites Rule 2.11 of the WV Code of Judicial Conduct and alleges multiple conflicts: House Speaker Roger Hanshaw co-hosted Greear's campaign fundraisers, Greear's son worked at Bowles Rice (the firm representing Fundamental Data), and Hanshaw is a partner at Bowles Rice. A portion of the appeal had been dismissed earlier ahead of the evidentiary hearing. UPDATE 2026-07-23: The WV Dept. of Commerce demanded the developer disclose project details, then reversed itself, accepting the company's claim that the project is merely 'conceptual' and that it lacks legal control of the land — directly contradicting the WVDEP, which had already issued an air permit based on a finding that the company DID control the land. HB 2014's confidential-business-information exemption is shielding most of the underlying data from public disclosure.
