CHARLESTON — The West Virginia Air Quality Board has upheld an air quality permit for the proposed Ridgeline power plant and data center in Tucker County.

The decision denied an appeal from three citizen groups, Tucker United, the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, and the Sierra Club, which had asked the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection to revoke and reclassify the air quality permit.

The proposed Ridgeline Power Plant would be a 500-acre natural gas power plant fueling a data center, both built by and belonging to the company Fundamental Data. The facility would be located between the towns of Davis and Thomas.

During a December hearing at the WVDEP headquarters, the AQB overruled the groups’ objections and accepted the position of the WVDEP that the proposed facility was a minor source, that information be allowed to be kept from the public, and that emissions were estimated properly.

The AQB did, however, agree that additional monitoring should be required.

The group’s original appeal focused primarily on the WVDEP’s misclassification of the facility as a synthetic minor source of emissions instead of a major source.

Being classified as a major source of emissions would require more testing to ensure the plant was operating safely.

“We are extremely disappointed in the Air Quality Board’s decision to uphold the air permit for the Ridgeline facility, despite significant concerns from community members,” Tucker United member Amy Margolies said in a press release. “The board failed to protect the health and well-being of West Virginians, opting instead to favor the interests of out-of-state developers.”

The proposed plant is to be constructed by Fundamental Data, a Virginia-based company whose website only features the business’ name and a copyright notice on its home page.

Cris Parque, another member of Tucker United, said the group will continue to fight the proposed project from Fundamental Data.

“Although the Air Quality Board did not vote to reclassify the project as a major source of pollutants, which would have triggered a more transparent process involving air quality modeling and environmental impact assessments, Tucker United will continue to fight this proposal,” Parque said in the release.

“We stand united in opposition to any project that hurts our communities, and we need every Mountaineer’s help, whether through writing letters to lawmakers, donating, or sharing on social media. Your voice matters in the fight against unchecked data center buildout across the state.”

For more information, can be obtained by visiting tuckerunited.com.