MINGO COUNTY, W.Va. –The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection held a public meeting Monday evening to discuss the air quality permit applications for data center operations in Mingo County.
The meeting focused on the TransGas facilities, which are off-grid power-generating sites proposed for locations on 22 Mine Road near Holden and Twisted Gun Road near Wharncliffe.
The DEP is considering the applications following a push from state leaders to attract data center development to West Virginia. Lawmakers passed House Bill 2014 during the most recent legislative session. Governor Patrick Morrisey hailed the legislation as a centerpiece of economic development during the legislative session.
The legislation was designed to facilitate in-state data center development by prohibiting counties and municipalities from enforcing or adopting regulations that would restrict the creation, development, or operation of any certified microgrid district or high-impact data center project.
During the meeting, the WVDEP took questions regarding the facilities emissions into the air because of the health risk, especially to those who already have breathing issues.
Mingo County resident Mariah Clay noted that the areas near the two proposed facilities rank in the 95th and 96th percentiles for respiratory illnesses. These include individuals who are on oxygen, have Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, black lung, severe asthma, among other issues.
Clay, like many of the other individuals who were attended the meeting, that the engagement of the meeting was not meet because of the broadband issues but also issues with the form to register requiring them to have a Goggle account.
She even noted that some Logan County residents, who will be close to one of the facilities were left out of the meeting.
Clay said that she wanted to see these things first moving forward before the DEP made a decision.
“I urge DEP to correct these shortcomings, provide full transparency, and ensure meaningful public engagement moving forward,” she said.
Sierra Club WV Chapter Chair James Kotcon, said the facilities will release seven million tons of greenhouse gases every year.
He said it was surprising that the DEP claimed not to monitor greenhouse gas emissions, referring to an earlier statement made by the agency.
“These will be among the largest facilities in West Virginia, it defies logic to believe that they are somehow minor sources and not required to meet those greenhouse gas emissions,” Kotcon said.
He referenced that these facilities will be on the same scale as the John Amos Plant in Putnam County and the Harrison Power Plant in Harrison County.
Kotcon also noted that the DEP needs to ensure that the engines going into the facilities are not patented.
Executive Director of Coal River Watch Vernon Haltom said that these facilities will be bad for the environment.
“You’re going to be polluting the community, you’re going to be cooking the planet, you don’t even consider CO2 in any of this,”
WV Climate Alliance Coordinator Tyler Cannon agreed with Clay, stating that community engagement and accessibility need improvement, as residents in Gilbert want officials to visit their community rather than holding a virtual meeting.
He also said that the DEP needed to better understand the risk posed by the facilities and needs to be able to answer the question of if the operators’ emissions controls are off slightly, how off do they have to be to exceed the major source threshold.
Cannon said that this surprised him during the meeting.
“I am very surprised that you are prepared to grant this permit without having that information handy,” he said.
If the permits are approved, construction on the facilities is planned to begin around January 1, 2026, with operations expected to start around January 1, 2027.
The DEP’s written public comment period was supposed to end Monday; however, they have extended it to August 22 at 5 p.m. Those wanting to submit written comments can do so by email: Jerry.Williams@WV.gov with the subject line being “TransGas Development Comments” or via mail, Air Quality, Attention: Jerry Williams, 601 57th Street SE, Charleston, WV 25304