By Luanne McGovern, West Virginia Highlands Conservancy 

The West Virginia Legislative session will kick off on Jan. 14, 2026, and as usual, the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy will be actively engaged in advocating for certain high-priority issues during the 60-day session. We have partnered for many years with the West Virginia Environmental Council (WVEC), which employs two full-time lobbyists during the session, working on issues important to all of us.  

Data Centers and HB2014

During last year’s session, one of the most egregious bills passed was HB2014 – called the “Power Generation and Consumption Act,” or more commonly, the microgrid and data center bill. This legislation strips all power away from local governments to control the location and size of microgrid power plants and data centers in their communities. In addition, the majority of the property tax revenues from the facilities will be diverted back to the state and away from local communities.

Massive power plants and data center projects have been announced in Tucker, Mingo and Mason counties, and HB2014 has made local communities powerless to oppose or control their implementation. We will be advocating for the revision of HB2014 to put in place common-sense guidelines that will protect local communities from these massive projects:

• Repeal restrictions on local zoning and control
• Encourage location on brownfield sites
• Authorize local referenda on the projects
• Incentivize renewable energy microgrids
• Redirect tax revenue from the state back to the counties

Conservation of Public and Private Lands

 Each year, we must play “defense” on multiple bills that are introduced to remove protections from our precious public lands. This year is unlikely to be any different. We will be closely monitoring bills as they are introduced to prevent further deterioration of the public lands of West Virginia.

• Keep public lands free of Off-Road Vehicles and keep trails non-motorized 
• Keep public lands free of timbering, undefined “economic development” projects, and other incompatible uses
• Ensure the property rights of private landowners to enter conservation easements 
• Prevent efforts to restrict forest carbon sequestration.

In addition, we will be working to support the following efforts:

• Support updates and corrections to the West Virginia Rail Trails Program to address railroad liability and safety risk concerns
• Support the Public Waterways Access Act, which would provide public river access at bridge crossings

We will be keeping our membership updated on a regular basis through social media, emails, The Highlands Voice and with targeted action alerts. Your help is always needed and always appreciated – stay tuned!