Morrisey, Legislative Leaders Unveil Data Center Development Plan; Earlier Town Hall Recapped 2026 Session

Governor Patrick Morrisey, joined by Senate President Randy Smith, House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, and West Virginia Department of Commerce leadership, announced the West Virginia Responsible Data Center Development Plan in early-to-mid August 2026. The announcement was described as a unified legislative and executive vision for guiding data center growth in the state, tied to House Bill 2014. According to corroborated reporting, the plan is framed as a 20-year strategy intended to attract billions of dollars in private investment while addressing ratepayer protection, tax reduction, grid modernization, and national security considerations. The initiative involves coordination between the governor's office, the state legislature, and the Department of Commerce. Separately, in April 2026, Morrisey held a town hall in Keyser to highlight legislative accomplishments from the 2026 session, including a 5% across-the-board income tax cut, more than $2 billion in road and bridge funding, and a 3% pay raise for state employees and teachers; he also cited $199 million secured for the state's Rural Health Transformation effort. The data center plan's specific implementation timeline, regulatory mechanisms, and enforcement details were not specified in available reporting. It remains unclear how the ratepayer protection and grid modernization components will be structured or funded, and no information was provided on legislative votes or the current status of House Bill 2014 beyond its association with the announcement. The town hall accomplishments and the data center plan announcement are distinct events reported months apart, with no indication in the source material that they were formally linked beyond both involving Governor Morrisey's 2026 initiatives.