By: Lydia Crawley, The Parsons Advocate
In what appears to be a preemptive measure, The Steering Committee for Tucker United, a local advocacy group that has been staunchly opposing the proposed Ridgeline Power Plant Project, has written a letter to Matt Herridge, Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Commerce in Charleston. The letter addresses the group’s concerns over the project as “The West Virginia Department of Commerce requires a Letter of Intent for microgrid certification.” The Department of Commerce confirmed that no such application has been filed with the office.
Such a Letter of Intent, the TU letter assert “focuses on economic and technical aspects of the proposed project from the developer’s perspective.” TU asserts in the letter that confidentiality clause excludes entities such as county commissions, municipalities and residents from the development process, regardless of the inherent potential dangers to community health or impact on land use, tax revenue or how it could reshape communities.
“Although Fundamental Data may not have petitioned for the certification of their microgrid district or high-impact data center yet, public comments from their spokespeople and from state officials indicate the company intends to do so,” the letter states.
In the ending paragraphs of the document, the assertion is made that TU was made the promise that the Ridgeline Project would not be constructed at the proposed site. The document references a discussions between representatives of Tucker United, “local elected officials,” Deputy Secretary of Commerce Nick Peservati and Data Economy Liason Chris Morris.
“We were assured our concerns would be taken into account, and told the Ridgeline Project would not be built at the proposed location. However, Fundamental Data continues to move forward with their plan. We need more than verbal reassurance from your office,” the letter states.
TU said in the letter that the intent behind the “letter of community intent” was to provide evidence behind the group’s concerns about how the proposed project would negatively impact Tucker County, as well as those around it. The letter also states that the group does not oppose economic growth or companies that bring diversity to the local economy and welcomes businesses that bring well-paying, long-term employment to the region, establish community benefit agreements to ensure sustainability and follow best practices to protect human health and the recreation-based economy.
The letter outlines testimony by Dr. Ron Sahu during the appeal hearing before the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection Air Quality Board. Dr. Sahu’s estimations of emissions data was discussed and presented in the letter as evidence as to why the project should not be a synthetic minor source of emissions.
“We will continue to argue, based on clear evidence, that the WVDEP has erroneously issued this permit to Fundamental Data and its revocation is required,” the letter states.
The document ends with detailed outlined responses and illustrations to several administrative rules related to 145 CSR 20 and its subsections that contain the microgrid regulations.
