Data Centers seem to be on everyone’s mind these days, primarily for the reason that they are very much on the mind of our Republican governor. He is an unabashed advocate for this industry and, as John Doyle describes, is willing to relax the regulations and oversight that every other kind of business has to abide by. Are we going to trust the data centers to play nice in our communities out of the goodness of their silicon hearts?
We pay for government through our taxes and in many cases we pay over and above those taxes for special government services. One of those services has been enshrined in law, the Freedom of Information Act, which allows us access on request to information at government agencies. John Doyle argues in this article that these agencies, can, but should not, charge for releasing this information or restricting it to only certain categories of individuals. He mentions a proposal by the Jefferson County Commission that would limit what requests it would honor.
Electric power is delivered largely through overhead transmission lines. We put up with the lines because without them our lights go out. But as John Doyle explains, the huge thirst for electricity of data centers in Loudon County, Virginia is proposed to be quenched by equally huge (160 feet!) transmission lines crossing several counties in the Eastern Panhandle, including Jefferson County. That electricity will not benefit our people, but it will take land and devalue the properties it passes through. This will be another example of West Virginia giving and getting nothing back, but grief. John cautions vigilance.