WV NAACP demands moratorium on data centers, microgrids; Opposes HB 2014

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Delegates at the West Virginia NAACP State Convention, held August 14–15, 2026, in Huntington, adopted a resolution demanding an immediate moratorium on High Impact Data Centers (HIDCs) and the microgrids built to power them — and formally opposing West Virginia House Bill 2014, which they say strips local communities of the right to govern themselves.

The resolution passed with a unanimous vote at the convention and was signed by WV NAACP State Conference President Loretta Young. It originated with the WVNAACP Environmental Justice Committee, sponsored by the Jefferson County NAACP (JCWVNAACP), and was first adopted by that unit on July 12, 2026, before going to the full convention for a statewide vote in August.

A new extraction economy

In a statement announcing the resolution, Young connected the moratorium demand to a broader pattern of frustration with Charleston.

“We applaud communities across the state for standing up to a governor and state legislature clearly disconnected from local realities,” Young said. “From Tucker County to the Ohio Valley, and the Eastern and Northern Panhandles of West Virginia, communities across the political spectrum are exhausted with the excuses coming from this administration and their allies in the legislature when it comes to the new extraction economy known as data center development.”

EDITOR: Please use callout quotes for “communities across the political spectrum are exhausted with the excuses coming from this administration and their allies”

For Young, the argument comes down to local consent.

“First and foremost, if a local community does not want a data center monopolizing the water supply, driving up utility rates, and reducing their quality of life through excessive noise and light pollution, that should be the end of the discussion, full stop,” she said.

She was direct about HB 2014 itself.

“The idea that Charleston knows best when it comes to these local decisions is an abuse of power coming from people who espouse support for local control,” Young said. “It must end, and HB 2014, the legislative vehicle stripping local communities from any say over these facilities, must be repealed.”

Why the moratorium

The resolution lays out a case built on cost, water, power, and self-governance.

West Virginia’s water and sewer bills are already among the highest in the country, the resolution states, and electricity bills have been climbing as demand on the power grid grows. High Impact Data Centers, it argues, threaten water supplies for homes, farms and small businesses, including in areas already reporting drought conditions, while their massive power demands strain a grid with a long history of exporting power from coal-fired plants concentrated in underserved communities.

Microgrids compound the problem, according to the resolution. These smaller power generators, typically burn fracked gas, diesel or coal to supply HIDCs when the main grid can’t keep up, bringing additional noise, air and water pollution to communities already carrying the burden. In a 2025 report, the Environmental Data & Governance Initiative found that communities, particularly communities of color, living near data centers have higher air pollution exposures with significant public health impacts.

A note from BBG: Not all microgrids are created equal. There are renewable, clean energy microgrids. To learn more see: What are microgrids and how could they help Appalachian Communities become more resilient?, or contact WV Citizen Action’s Data Center Accountability Project: Morgan King, morgan@wvcag.org.

The fight over HB 2014

West Virginia House Bill 2014 (HB 2014) is a West Virginia state law, formally titled the Power Generation and Consumption Act, it was introduced in the West Virginia House of Delegates by Speaker Roger Hanshaw and other Republican delegates, passed the House 88-12, and was signed into law by Gov. Patrick Morrisey on April 30, 2025, as one of his legislative priorities that session. 

The law prohibits counties and municipalities from enacting or enforcing ordinances that would prohibit or hinder certified data center and microgrid districts — the provision at the center of the NAACP’s “local control” argument. The resolution states the bill strips citizens and their local governing bodies, from zoning boards to county commissions, of their constitutional right to self-government over these projects.

The financial terms compound the concern: under HB 2014, counties receive only 30% of the tax revenue generated by data center corporations, while the state keeps 70%, leaving local communities to shoulder the infrastructure costs with a fraction of the return.

What the resolution demands

The WVNAACP resolution puts the organization on record with three core demands:

• An immediate moratorium on HIDC and microgrid permitting in West Virginia, and active support for legal challenges declaring HB 2014 unconstitutional, for at least two years — or until citizens and lawmakers have transparent data and facts to make informed decisions, a right the resolution says HB 2014 currently strips away.
• A call for all WVNAACP units to stay vigilant against the taking of land and water rights and the rollback of environmental regulations by an industry the resolution says has a poor track record of protecting the lives, liberties and pursuit of happiness of impacted neighborhoods.
• A continued, steadfast demand for the moratorium and ongoing legal challenges to HB 2014’s constitutionality.

“All WVNAACP units call for moratorium,” the resolution concludes.