This week, a Japanese Shinto garden took root in southwestern Virginia because of family connections spanning geography and generations. Also, in Whitesburg, Kentucky, a new mosaic uses recovered objects to honor the town’s people after the flood of 2022. And, the young adult novel Verity Vox and the Curse of Foxfire mixes historical fact with spooky Appalachian folklore.
Shepherd University Hosts Panel On Effects Of Data Centers
The auditorium of the Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education at Shepherd University will host the panel March 31 at 6 p.m.Liz McCormick/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
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West Virginians wondering about the rapid expansion of data center projects in the state can get some answers.
The discussion aims to highlight diverse perspectives on West Virginia data center construction to help the public better understand community and statewide impacts. Steve Pearson, editor of The Observer Weekly, will moderate the discussion.
The panelists are:
Cara Keys, Jefferson County Commissioner and commercial real estate appraiser
Amy Margolies, executive director of grassroots coalition Tucker United
Chris Morris, state data economy liaison and director of the Data Economy Office of the Department of Economic Development
Dado Slezak, executive vice president of utility innovation for QTS Data Centers
MetroNews TV will broadcast the discussion on air, on radio and online via YouTube.
Data center development has accelerated across the country in recent years. The West Virginia Legislature and Gov. Patrick Morrisey have focused on data center development as a unique opportunity to drive economic growth and bring high-skilled jobs to the state.
The passage of House Bill 2014 last year created the Certified Microgrid Program to allow data centers to establish microgrids — self-contained sites that generate their own power.
Projects in Tucker, Mingo and Mason counties have already started receiving state permits for construction. More recently, Morrisey announced investments from Penzance Management for a data center in Berkeley County and from Google for a data center in Putnam County.
A transmission line project approved by regional transmission operator PJM is awaiting state regulatory approval to connect data centers in northern Virginia to power plants in Pennsylvania through four counties in northern West Virginia.
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On this West Virginia Week, changes are coming to FEMA, few details on school clothing voucher accusations, and the state has a new guide for data centers.
The facility will use a high pressure, high temperature process known as pyrolysis to break used plastic down into various chemicals including components to create recycled plastic.
