🛶 West Virginia, Mountain Mama, Take Me Home, Country Roads 🛻
When communities feel steamrolled by industrial buildouts they never asked for, what happens next? And could infrastructure incidents near contested development zones be more than coincidence?
West Virginia is ground zero for that tension right now. Gov. Patrick Morrisey and the West Virginia DEP have been pushing hard toward a data center buildout, backed by House Bill 2014, passed in April 2025, which prohibits counties and municipalities from enforcing or adopting regulations that limit high-impact data center projects. [West Virginia Gazette Mail]
In Tucker County, a Virginia company called Fundamental Data applied for an air quality permit for what it's calling the Ridgeline Facility — a natural gas power plant and data center complex proposed to be built between the tourist towns of Thomas and Davis, covering potentially 10,000 acres. [West Virginia Watch] Residents there created a grassroots coalition called Tucker United, pushing for transparency — and the fight has since spread to Mingo, Mason, and Berkeley counties. [West Virginia Watch]
Could frustration boil over into something more drastic? The question of environmental terrorism isn't far-fetched when you look at the broader picture. A report from Data Center Watch found that by the end of 2025, hundreds of local opposition groups were active across 42 U.S. states, with activity accelerating sharply in Q3 and Q4. [The Soufan Center] A Soufan Center analysis noted that this contagion effect — communities pre-emptively mobilizing after hearing horror stories from neighbors — is real and intensifying.
Meanwhile, in January 2026, unknown perpetrators set fire to high-voltage power cables in Berlin in an attack later associated with a far-left extremist group. [Wikipedia] Sabotage of power infrastructure as protest is not hypothetical.
Across the river in Ohio, the story is further along and arguably messier. Ohio's data center sales tax exemption, originally projected to cost $142 million in fiscal 2026, came in at nearly $1.6 billion in 2025 alone — 11 times the forecast. [CBS News]
Gov. DeWine suspended the tax break pending a legislative review, while residents are pushing a referendum for November's midterm ballot that would permanently ban hyperscale data center construction statewide. [Slashdot] In Jerome Township, officials imposed a moratorium after residents complained that two massive Amazon data centers use local police and fire services, but pay no property taxes for years under the deal Amazon received when they were built. [Signal Ohio]
Pennsylvania, in the meantime, intends to construct over 50 data centers, despite opposition from an expanding coalition of community organizations, environmental advocates, and legislators from both political parties. [PublicSource] In Montour County, a group called Concerned Citizens started with four members in August 2025, gathered hundreds of supporters, and collected a petition signed by roughly 3,000 people — about twice the population of the township in question. [PublicSource] State Sen. Katie Muth has proposed a three-year moratorium on construction.
For digital asset hobbyists, this should ring familiar. In Tennessee, Mountain City faced intense controversy after CleanSpark announced plans to build a 30-megawatt Bitcoin mining facility on a 50-acre parcel in the middle of a residential neighborhood. [LPM] Despite city leaders' assurances about noise and cooling technology, all 11 residents who spoke at a public hearing were opposed — and a petition gathered over 1,700 verified signatures. [WUOT] The town ultimately pushed back successfully. In Bulls Gap, county commissioners approved a resolution restricting all digital currency mining development by a 10-2 vote, drawing applause from residents. [WUOT]
