Who is really behind Tucker County's data center?

We know the difference between investment and extraction

West Virginians aren't opposed to tech. We have FBI CJIS in Clarksburg—the largest FBI division, 3,000+ employees, real careers. We know what legitimate investment looks like. This isn't it.

When Elon Musk builds a data center, he shows up. He announces the investment. He puts his name on it.

When Casey Chapman—a custom home builder from Purcellville, VA—files permits for "one of the world's largest data centers," he declines interviews, skips community meetings, and won't name who's funding it.

A home builder is the face of a billion-dollar project

Chapman says he's a "fourth-generation West Virginian" who hunts and fishes in Canaan Valley. He says he cares about the land.

But the permit application is so heavily redacted that engineers couldn't determine basic operational parameters. Water source? Redacted. Turbine specs? Redacted. Emissions methodology? Redacted.

The 4th poorest state is getting played. Again.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 American Community Survey

This isn't just Tucker County's problem

HB 2014 applies statewide. The precedent set here affects every county. Similar projects are proposed in Mingo and Mason counties. If shell companies can secure permits with redacted applications, no local oversight, and 70% of taxes to Charleston—that's the template everywhere.

The pattern repeats

The legislation was written for developers

The regulators said the quiet part out loud

On February 6, 2026, the West Virginia Air Quality Board upheld Fundamental Data's air quality permit, denying the appeal from Tucker United, WV Highlands Conservancy, and Sierra Club.

But buried in their own ruling is an extraordinary admission:

Read that again. The regulatory board acknowledged in writing that the facility will likely blow past its permit limits — and approved the permit anyway.

How "synthetic minor" works

Fundamental Data applied for a "minor source" permit to avoid the stricter — and more transparent — "major source" requirements. As Olivia Miller of the WV Highlands Conservancy noted, the company "pursued the synthetic minor permit path to avoid the 'more costly and onerous' requirements that come with major-source permitting."

Dr. Ron Sahu, a mechanical engineer and air pollution expert, testified that his calculations showed emissions would exceed minor source thresholds. "This is not a minor source," he told the board.

The board's solution? Require stack testing after the facility is built and operational. By then, the investment is sunk, the jobs argument is locked in, and shutting it down becomes politically impossible.

The redactions stayed sealed

Despite the appeal, the redacted sections of the permit application were never released. The public still doesn't know the actual emissions data, water usage, or turbine specifications for this project. The DEP classified them as "trade secrets."

The opposition can still appeal to circuit court. The fight isn't over.

Sources: WV Public Broadcasting, WV MetroNews

Do the people making these deals even understand the technology?

HB 2014 passed in 16 days. Even if everyone acted in good faith, the people negotiating these deals don't understand what they're selling.

Data center technology changes faster than any other industry. Hardware requirements that were accurate six months ago are already obsolete. The companies coming to the table have engineers who understand exactly what they need. West Virginia's legislators had 16 days and no technical review.

Meanwhile, data centers are capital intensive, not labor intensive. The Ohio River Valley Institute called them "enterprises that create few jobs and inject little money into host communities." 16 jobs for 10,000 acres isn't a mistake — it's the industry standard. Someone should have known that before giving away the store.

What you can do

The reporting this investigation draws from