Hyperscale data centers are massive facilities that can have the geographic footprint of a small city; and

The increased energy demand from the presence of hyperscale data centers could impact grid reliability and energy costs for all ratepayers while increasing CO2 emissions; and 

Hyperscale data centers can consume immense amounts of water per day, depleting resources and risking contamination for other local users and native ecosystems; and 

The presence of hyperscale data centers puts community members at risk of decreased property values, altered character and function of property, or loss of private property to eminent domain; and 

The presence of a hyperscale data center changes the fabric of a community with noise and light pollution, and the loss of large tracts of potential farmland or reconstruction of the natural terrain;  

THEREFORE, it is my position that the presence of hyperscale data centers in West Virginia communities should be evaluated on more than the financial impacts alone. And, it is my position that decisions about the presence of hyperscale data centers should reside with the people of the communities in which they’ve been proposed.