Tucker, Grant, and Hardy counties will be exposed to dangerous air pollutants from the proposed Ridgeline power plant and data center complex, causing up to $35 million in annual health-related damage to residents and visitors to the region.
That’s according to an independent impact analysis led by a Harvard environmental health scientist.
While most of the health burden would fall on West Virginians, the Ridgeline pollution plume would also extend into Virginia and Maryland. The analysis estimates more than 250,000 people across the three states would experience increased exposure to fine particulate air pollution.
The analysis – commissioned by Tucker United, a non-partisan grassroots coalition – was designed to independently evaluate the health impact and economic costs associated with the proposed gas- and diesel-fired plant that will power data centers in Tucker County.
The project was brought forward by Fundamental Data, LLC of Purcellville, Virginia, which has not fully disclosed key air quality data associated with its power plant.
One of the most harmful air pollutants, fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, was examined in the independent analysis using pollution estimates from Fundamental Data’s air permit application.
This air dispersion analysis was critically important because PM2.5 can penetrate deep into lung tissue and enter the bloodstream and is associated with both short- and long-term health effects, including premature death, lung cancer, asthma, heart attacks, cardiovascular disease, strokes, and cognitive decline.
“No level of fine particulate matter is safe,” said Beth Boehme, a Physician Assistant and steering-committee member of Tucker United. “The very uncomfortable truth is that the health impacts will happen here to us, our kids, our grandparents, and our closest friends.”
Tucker United moved to commission the independent analysis after the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) declined to conduct air dispersion modelling and granted the air permit for the facility in August 2025.
“We believe the public deserves answers,” said Amy Margolies, a public health expert and steering-committee member of Tucker United. “Our community wanted to better understand the air-pollution impacts of the proposed Ridgeline Facility because so much information was hidden from us. When decisions are made behind closed doors, it puts the public at risk. Communities should have a voice on projects that affect their health and their future.”
The analysis found that residents of Davis and Thomas – Tucker County municipalities that serve as the gateway to the Canaan Valley and Monongahela National Forest recreational area—would experience the highest increases in exposure to fine particulate pollution.
Tucker County currently generates over $85 million annually from tourism, a key economic engine for the region. Although pollution impacts on tourism were not evaluated in the independent study, Tucker County residents are concerned that tourism will suffer from the spillover effects of poor air quality. The pollution plume would also extend across eastern West Virginia and into Virginia and Maryland, affecting more than 250,000 people.
Based on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s COBRA health-impact model, the Ridgeline facility could impose between $19 million and $35 million in annual health-related damages, the analysis shows.
“When data centers are powered by fossil fuels, they emit fine particulate matter that is linked to serious health risks,” said Michael Cork, a Harvard-affiliated environmental health scientist and lead analyst of the study. “In this case, permitted emissions alone could lead to up to $35 million in annual health damages.”
The analysis – drawing on well-established methods to evaluate health risks from PM2.5 and ozone – provides a conservative estimate of potential health impacts, as it assumes the facility operates within permitted emission limits set by the state of West Virginia. The analysis does not account for additional pollutants, non-routine operating conditions, or site-specific weather events.
The analysis also does not account for temperature inversions, which occur regularly in Canaan Valley. During inversions, air pollution can become trapped near the ground, indicating that real-world exposures – and the associated health risks – may be higher than those projected in the report. The report reinforces that regulations are not always protective of health.
“I worry the true cost of these data centers is being obscured and that West Virginians will be forced to bear the health and economic burdens,” said Shaena Crossland, a small-business owner based in Thomas and a steering-committee member of Tucker United. “No good economic development proposal puts the health and wellbeing of local residents at risk. I feel West Virginians deserve better.”
