A sign for the 36th annual Environment Day at the State Capitol in Charleston, West Virginia, stands outside the House chambers on Monday, February 23. More than 50 college students traveled to the Capitol to participate in E-Day 2026, where they spoke with lawmakers about their concerns about planned data center development. (Photo by Perry Bennett/West Virginia Legislative Photography)
College students considering their possible futures in West Virginia traveled to the state Capitol on Monday, where they met with lawmakers and shared their growing concerns about the state’s approach to data center development.
More than 50 students from West Virginia University and Concord University descended on the Capitol as part of the 36th annual Environmental Day hosted by the West Virginia Environmental Council.
Andrew O’Neal, a junior at WVU who serves as chair of the Student Government Association’s Sustainability Committee, said when he started thinking about the E-Day trip, data centers came to mind. A native of Pratt in Kanawha County, O’Neal said he and other students have watched residents across West Virginia fight against data center developments that they said could irreversibly change their communities.
As they arrived at the Capitol on Monday, O’Neal said he wanted to make sure lawmakers knew teenage people were watching. He said he and his classmates are deeply concerned about how state lawmakers are prioritizing potential future revenue from data centers legitimate concerns of the locals who would live next to them?
“I think for us environmentalists, data centers are kind of the elephant in the room right now. It seems like the next extractive industry is going to come along and promise all these jobs and then take more than they’ll ever give to West Virginians,” O’Neal said. “We’re not trying to destroy the data centers, but we’re trying to make concessions to the legislature. There’s a lot of things we need to make sure before these data centers come here and do all sorts of things in our communities.”
Jalen Cuyun Carter, a freshman, enrolled at WVU after growing up near Columbus, Ohio. He said that in recent years more and more data centers have located “right next to” his house. The novel developments have changed everything, he said.
“The environment, everything feels different. It’s not what it used to be. People are moving away, everything just got smaller. My mom plans on moving out once my brother graduates; it’s sad to watch,” said Cuyun Carter. “I decided to come out today and support this effort because I don’t want the same thing that happened to my family to happen here in West Virginia. It doesn’t have to happen.”
O’Neal and his WVU classmates Noi Alfgeirsson, a sophomore who lives in Morgantown, and Elise Vuiller, a senior from Weirton, said it was disappointing to watch the lawmakers who are supposed to represent them Align protection for communities influenced by data centers.
Last week, the state House of Representatives agreed novel rules how to certify high-impact data centers in the state. During floor debate, most members of the panel’s Republican supermajority rejected amendments that would have regulated water employ by data centers, added a 500-foot “buffer” to separate them from homes and other buildings, increased transparency and reporting requirements for developers and given some power back to residents by allowing them to petition against the developments and, if the requirements were met, put the issues on ballots for locals to vote on.
Under current law, local governments have done so no regulatory power how certified data centers operate in their communities. When developers apply for permits through the state Department of Environmental Protection, information is shared with locals say It is crucial for them to understand the potential harm to public health that the developments could bring are edited.
residents Mingo, Tucker And mason Districts have been speaking out about this for several months these concerns And more related to the development of data centers.
And for teenage people in the state like O’Neal, Alfgeirsson and Vuiller, the fight for more information and protection from another potentially extractive industry is underway as they plan their future.
O’Neal said he hopes the Legislature’s novel focus on data centers doesn’t rob West Virginia of its distinctiveness.
“When they think of West Virginia, they all think of mountains. They think of our natural landscapes. And people will constantly say, ‘Well, West Virginia has a lot of problems, but man, it’s a really beautiful state. It’s a really beautiful place to visit.’ People don’t say, ‘Man, they really need those data centers there,'” O’Neal said. “I think we need jobs, but we don’t have to sacrifice the symbol of our state, our environment, to get those jobs.”
Vuiller said it’s impossible to grow up in West Virginia and not be aware of how damaging the extractive industries have been to the state in the past. Looking to her future, she said she hopes she doesn’t face the same struggles as her predecessors.
Vuiller said it’s not just the data centers she’s worried about. She’s tired of hearing that West Virginia needs to sell its land, its people’s health and more to become economically competitive with surrounding states.
“West Virginians, and I think especially young West Virginians, are just tired of this narrative that we have to sacrifice our communities and to some extent ourselves in order to attract businesses or be a dominant source of energy,” Vuiller said. “We’re told we need funding and we need to power this country. Why the hell are we worried about the country’s energy supply when we can’t even feed ourselves and breathe the damn air when we go outside?”
Last summer, Vuiller and Alfgeirsson spent time in McDowell County, where residents were staying still recovering of deadly floods that hit the region in February. She questioned why state lawmakers are prioritizing potential revenue promises from data centers over actual needs Flood protection efforts, spotless water And more.
“There are so many things that people in our state need. There are so many things that are left undone. But instead of addressing those things, we’re putting all of our work into hoping that a data center will come along and provide some jobs,” Vuiller said. “We have so much to offer and our people deserve so much better. We are rich in our history, in our love, in our culture. I want the government to take care of our people. If they do that, we will take care of the state.”
With her graduation pending, Vuiller said she knows she wants to stay in West Virginia and continue to advocate for better environmental and health protections for communities.
“When I was younger, I really wanted to leave… but I kept having these experiences that made me realize that I love my neighbors so much, I love this place so much,” Vuiller said. “At this point, I don’t think there’s anything that will make me leave. It might be harder to stay, but I’ll be here. I’ll die with (my neighbors). I don’t care. This is my home.”
O’Neal said he was struggling with the decision to stay in West Virginia or go elsewhere. Data center development is now another point to consider when planning its future, he said.
“I go back and forth a lot. I really want to stay and make things better because I know it’s people like us who will do that,” he said. “But these types of policies make it harder. Data centers make it harder. It’s something I change my mind about every day, and I wish I knew for sure.”
Alfgeirsson, who is originally from Iceland but moved to Morgantown with his family 10 years ago, said he believes West Virginia is a place where he can really make a difference. There are so many challenges, he said, and they get bigger every year, but he feels like the state is the place where he can do the most work.
“I’m optimistic that change will happen. If (young people) are able to organize and speak up, we can really make a much-needed difference,” Alfgeirsson said. “So yeah, I would say I’m staying because change needs to be made here. And I think one person can really make a difference. I want to try to be that person.”
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