The Inter-Mountain photo by Edgar Kelley Delegate Jonathan Kyle, at left, speaks during the annual Legislative Luncheon, as state Senators Bill Hamilton and Robbie Morris listen.

ELKINS – The topic of proposed data centers in the area was addressed by state Senators Bill Hamilton and Robbie Morris and Delegate Jonathan Kyle during the annual Legislative Luncheon offered recently at the Arts Center.

Davis & Elkins College senior Sidney Megan, who served as moderator of the event, asked the legislators for their thoughts on data centers.

The issue has been a hot topic in Tucker County recently, where the company Fundamental Data has proposed to construct the Ridgeline Power Plant in close proximity to the towns of Davis and Thomas. The 500-acre natural gas power plant would fuel a data center.

Hamilton, a Republican seeking re-election in District 11 during the May 12 West Virginia Primary Election, was the first to address the topic during the luncheon.

“When that bill (HB 2014) came through Legislature last year I voted in favor of it to build the data centers,” Hamilton said. “It is the taxation of where we divided it up that is going to help county commissions and municipalities. Since that we have several data centers going in West Virginia… But we may have to take a second look at that because it’s very controversial. People are concerned about air pollution, environmental pollution, etcetera.”

Kyle, R-District 66, is also seeking re-election in the upcoming primary, and was next to discuss data centers.

“I don’t think everyone realizes what kind of economic impact they (data centers) can have,” Kyle said. “The numbers I’ve been given on a county like Tucker County, their immediate county budget would go up by five or six numbers in tax revenue. That’s huge for a county that is begging for EMS funding, begging for law enforcement funding, and begging for education funding, just like we are.”

Kyle added that the two counties he represents, Randolph and Pocahontas, will probably never have data centers.

“Randolph County and Pocahontas County are likely to never get a data center,” Kyle said. “We don’t have 2,000 acres of flat land available. So the areas that do, let them do it.”

Morris, R-11th District, talked about how the tax revenues from cata centers would be divided up.

“With House Bill 2014, one of the things I fought for on the Senate side was how the tax revenue would be divvied up, with what I call the data severance,” Morris said. “This is where the coal-producing counties would receive a share of the severance tax, and every county would also receive a portion of the severance tax (from data centers).”

Morris said the projected plant in Tucker County would bring in an tremendous amount of revenue money for the county’s residents each year.

“When it comes to needle-moving opportunities, there’s not a lot in West Virginia that can move the needle like that,” Morris said. “And there’s a lot of benefits that can come from that for other areas, as 10% of the tax revenue generated is divvied up with the other counties. So Randolph County would benefit, whether it had a data center or not. Randolph County would benefit financially from these other projects, just like coal severance.”

The luncheon was hosted by the Elkins-Randolph County Chamber and was offered in conjunction with the 2026 Leadership Randolph’s Government session.