A routine public notice for what appeared to be a power plant permit sparked a fight that has become one of the defining issues facing Tucker County. On the latest episode of Access Appalachia, science journalist and ecologist Nikki Forrester of Highland Outdoors and Tucker United Executive Director Amy Margolies joined the podcast to discuss a massive industrial development proposed near Davis and Thomas and why residents are demanding greater transparency.
What has emerged through permit filings and public records is a project of extraordinary scale. Margolies estimates the development could span roughly 10,000 acres, an area comparable to Snowshoe Mountain Resort. Early plans include gas and diesel powered energy generation, with future phases reportedly adding a second gas plant, utility scale solar, a potential nuclear facility, and a coal gasification operation extending into Grant County.
Despite the project’s size, many questions remain unanswered. The developers operate through Delaware registered LLCs, and no principals have been publicly identified as West Virginia residents. After more than 1,600 public comments were submitted on the air quality permit, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection responded only by acknowledging receipt of the feedback.
Concern over potential health impacts led Tucker United to commission an independent Harvard led study examining PM2.5 dispersion. The modeling projects up to $35 million in health related damages, a concern amplified by Canaan Valley’s unique geography, where temperature inversions can trap pollutants within the valley basin.
Forrester and Margolies stress that their concerns are not about opposing data centers or economic development. Instead, they argue the issue is about local control and public accountability, pointing to House Bill 2014 as legislation that limits community input while shifting much of the burden onto local residents. For a county where tourism generates an estimated $85 million annually and supports roughly 900 jobs, they believe the future of Tucker County’s outdoor recreation economy is what hangs in the balance.
Learn more about: Tucker United / Highland Outdoors / Friends of the Cheat
Access Point: The Purple Fiddle — Thomas, WV
A listening room at 96 East Avenue in Thomas keeps a stage lit nearly every night of the week, and it’s been doing it since 2001. The Purple Fiddle is a café, bar, and music venue rolled into one — all-ages, all the time — where a small downtown stage pulls in touring acts across bluegrass, folk, soul, alt-country, and roots music alongside free tip-jar matinees. It anchors the Thomas arts scene the guests pointed to in this episode, the same creative pull that draws people to Tucker County in the first place.
The draw is the combination: a deep beer and wine list, a full kitchen, and live music in a room small enough that no seat is a bad one. It’s open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and stays open late on show nights. A stop on West Virginia’s Mountain Music Trail, it’s the kind of place worth building an evening around when you’re in the Davis–Thomas area — finish a day on the trails or the river and end it here.
Learn more: The Purple Fiddle
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