After learning Sunday, April 13, in Davis, of a misguided plan by a Virginia company known as “Fundamental Data,” I am appalled that its owner & CEO Casey Chapman would conceive that the proposed area near Davis and Thomas would be suitable for such a project.

He obviously does NOT know of the water shortage residents lived through last summer. The top of a mountain is never a good place to build multiple data processing centers with power plants, each needing millions of gallons of water per day.

Such a bad idea is ill-conceived by Mr. Chapman. One would think his company Fundamental Data should have researched the water table in this area before purchasing 500 acres of land and applying for a permit to pollute the air of Davis and Thomas residents with harmful particulates and toxic emissions NO2, CO2, HCHO-formaldehyde, lead and SO2 to name a few.

At the same meeting, several people who had visited such data processing centers reported the noise pollution and light pollution were constant and hard to be anywhere near within a few miles. Is it a coincidence that our WV Legislature just passed HB2014, preventing any local ordinances, county or municipal, to prevent such pollution? Is it also a coincidence that neither the Tucker County Commission nor their Development Authority were notified of this plan to build such a huge complex near to their high tourism centers and state parks? Like everyone else, they found it in a notice published in a local newspaper.

We sincerely hope that the DEP will not grant this company permission to build anywhere near Davis and Thomas. Their tourism industry would be diminished, and no one wants to increase their risk of cancer from the release of these toxic emissions. Tell Mr. Chapman to look for a place that has no people nearby and has plenty of water to cool these giant monstrosities.

In addition, we were wondering why there are so many redactions in the air quality permit. We need to see the entire verbiage of that permit, as it is difficult to understand with so many redactions. If you are concerned too, please write to: WVDEP/Division of Air Quality, 601 57th St SE Charleston, WV 25304, or call 304-926-0499, ext 41281.

Jane Birdsong

Elkins