By: Lydia Crawley
The Parsons Advocate
The newly formed local advocacy group Tucker United hosted its first public informational meeting at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Davis on Sunday, June 1st. The meeting was to inform the public what the group has learned about the proposed natural gas and diesel generated power plant and data center project slated for construction between the towns of Davis and Thomas by Virginia based company Fundamental Data.
The program ended with a challenge by Davis Mayor Al Tomson to West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey. Tomson began by stating that Morrisey had recently been touring the State, but had been “suspiciously absent” from Tucker County. Tomson then accused Morrisey avoiding the County on purpose to avoid answering questions on topics such as the power plant and data centers.
“I think he was afraid to come to Tucker County,” Tomson said. “I think Governor Morrisey was afraid to listen to the opinions of local people in Tucker County. I think Governor Morrisey was afraid to meet with me when I offered to go to Charleston and talk about this issue.”
Tomson went on to extend an invitation to the Governor to come to Tucker County. Tomson wants the Governor to come to Davis and see what is at stake by the project. Tomson said he would personally take him on a tour of the area to “show him what we are trying to protect.”
“I challenge Governor Morrisey to man up,” Tomson said. “I encourage Governor Morrisey to have a man to man conversation about this issue. If its so good, tell me about it.”
The meeting saw approximately 100 members of the public attend along with representatives from various media outlets including television and print. Tucker United Member Chris Parque acted as the M.C. for the afternoon and Beth Boehme also presented information along with various other members of the group throughout the program.
Some of the statistics presented by the group included that the complex could be one of the largest data centers in the world and could span 10,000 acres. The center is also slated to be built a mile from Davis Thomas Elementary Middle School and within 2 miles of 90% of the homes and building in Davis and Thomas, according to the group.
Tucker United Member Zena Raye presented her expert opinion on the subject. Raye, who works as a Project Manager and has a background in Software Development, went into detail about what could possibly be expected as a timeline for the project. Raye also said that the project would be similar in scope to Project Stargate.
Some of the largest concerns of the group involved pollution, water use, jobs, revenue and quality of life. Among the pollutants the group is concerned with include formaldehyde and particulate matter that the group says are known to cause asthma, heart disease and respiratory issues. Also of concern, is the weather phenomena around Canaan Valley known as temperature inversions. During these inversions, the group says that pollution will be trapped for days or weeks at a time.
Water usage by the power plant and data centers has yet to be addressed by Fundamental Data, according to the group. Several members of Tucker United have called Fundamental Data’s representative Casey Chapman, but Chapman said that he cannot guarantee that the project will not affect the area’s aquifer, the group said.
There has been no word on how much revenue will come into the County, should the complex come to fruition. Under HB 2014, recently passed by the West Virginia Legislature and signed into law by Governor Morrisey, 70% of any revenue generated by the project would go to Charleston, not Tucker County. Of the 30% that would come to Tucker County, there is no word on how the revenue would be calculated by the State.
Other concerns raised at the meeting included quality of life issues such as the impact to outdoor recreation and lower property values. One member of Tucker United said that she had even had Casey Chapman, Fundamental Data’s own representative say that should the power plant be built that he would not buy a home in Tucker County.
There was also outrage during the meeting over the proposed diesel storage and transport proposed under the project.
After a presentation of information, the meeting broke up into small groups to discuss issues and why everyone was in attendance. There was also a breaking of bread, with the bread donated by Sirianni’s.
In the future, the group plans to hold more meetings, including Zoom only meetings. Tucker United is also scheduled to address the Thomas Town Council to request the Town adopt a resolution opposing the power plant and data center project, a measure adopted by the Town of Davis on Thursday. The group also plans to attend a session of the Tucker County Commission in June, as well.
“When we talk about counting our victories and our successes, we really need to be grateful to our Davis Town Council for our recent victory that they came on board 100% behind us and passed a resolution,” Parque said.
For more information on Tucker United, go to www.tuckerunited.com.
