DAVIS — The grass-roots advocacy group Tucker United is working to try to stop a proposed 500-acre natural gas power plant from setting up shop just outside the towns of Thomas and Davis.

Tucker United, which was formed just two months ago, is already 300 members strong. Since the inception of the group, it has been actively spreading the word about the Virginia-based company, Fundamental Data, wanting to build the power plant, which would fuel a data center.

“Fundamental Data has never done a project like this before in the terms of size or scope,” Tucker United member Nikki Forrester told The Inter-Mountain. “They want to put a natural gas and diesel-fired power plant between the towns of Davis and Thomas. It will be a mile away from our local elementary and middle schools, and within two miles of 90% of all the homes and businesses in Davis and Thomas.”

Forrester said that Tucker United is most concerned about what kinds of health implications the plant will bring to the residents of the area.

“The company submitted an air quality permit application to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection and they said they were going to emit formaldehyde and a bunch of other toxic air pollutants that are known to cause really, really harmful health impacts on people who are exposed to it,” Forrester said. “So we are really concerned about the health of our community here.”

Forrester added that the power plant and the associated data center could foster other types of pollution as well.

“They are known to emit a lot of noise pollution and light pollution,” she said. “So that would impact the health of our environment and wildlife that we have around here for hunting, fishing, hiking and all of that good stuff. It really puts our tourism economy up here at risk as well.”

Forrester said that in 2023, tourism brought in more than $85 million of revenue to Tucker County and was responsible for 900 local jobs.

“(Tucker County) has been a really thriving and exciting place to be,” Forrester said. “Just seeing how much our natural landscape has benefited the people who live here is something we want to protect. The dark, starry skies and the quiet nights is exactly why I live here, so we worry about all of these threats to our quality of life.”

Tucker United’s first public informational meeting was held June 1 and over 100 people attended that event. Since then the group has come before the Davis City Council and Thomas City Council. Last week, the group attended the Parsons City Council meeting, and plans to attend the Tucker County Commission meeting at the end of the month.

“We started organizing about two months ago after House Bill 2014 was passed,” Forrester said. “That was kind of Gov. Morrisey’s flagship bill to bring in these micro grid power plants and data centers. The issue that we have with it is that it prevents municipalities and counties from having any say in the development of these projects. So we wouldn’t be allowed to enforce any sort of ordinances, zoning, or any kind of regulations on the operation of these things, despite the fact they could have huge impacts on our lives…

“We believe that we have the right to determine what happens in our communities. Our local officials should have the power to operate and function in the best interest of the people they are elected to serve.”

Forrester said the group has started a petition urging Morrisey to veto House Bill 2014, which removed local authority over power plants and data centers.

“We are fighting to encourage our legislators and officials to make amendments that would give control back to local communities,” Forrester said. “We have presented at the Davis Town Council and after our presentation, they unanimously signed on to a resolution opposing the project anywhere in Tucker County.

“Thomas Mayor Jody Flanagan said he wanted to collect more information about the project, so they were unwilling to take a stand at this point whether they oppose or support the project.”

Fundamental Data, based in Purcellville, Virginia, has no information on its website (fundementaldata.com) other than its name and a copyright notice.

“I personally haven’t talked to anyone who is for this project,” Forrester said. “People care a lot about the land here and they love it here. They are worried about their families, their jobs and their health. I think there is a general consensus that we are for economic development and we want more revenue for the county and the people here. We want good, well-paying jobs for local folks, but it’s clear that this project is not that.

“The company ( Fundamental Data) refuses to come down and engage with, they said they wouldn’t come down and do any sort of public meeting until they get the air quality permit approved.” 

For more information about Tucker United, visit the group’s Facebook page.