The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.West Virginia establishes water-use review and reporting rules for high-impact data centers
Last action · February 16, 2026: To House Energy and Public WorksSponsor: David Green
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What This Bill Proposed
West Virginia requires certified high-impact data centers to disclose anticipated water usage, submit withdrawal projections to the Department of Environmental Protection before construction, and report actual usage annually. The department may condition or deny water withdrawals only if they would reduce available supplies below existing lawful demands.
Operators of large data facilities must publicly disclose water needs and secure state review, while existing water users gain protection against supply shortages during droughts or low-flow periods.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
certified high impact data centers
Operators must provide pre-construction public notice of anticipated water usage, submit withdrawal projections to the Department of Environmental Protection, and file annual reports of actual water usage.
Department of Environmental Protection
The agency is tasked with reviewing water withdrawal submissions, coordinating public notice timing, and evaluating whether proposed withdrawals threaten existing lawful water demands.
public water systems and downstream users
Existing lawful water users receive protection because proposed data center withdrawals can be conditioned or denied if they would reduce available supplies below necessary demand levels.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which facilities are subject to the new water review rules?
Can the Department of Environmental Protection deny water usage for environmental quality reasons?
What information must data centers include in their pre-construction public notice?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
4 actions- Feb 16, 2026HouseCommitteeTo House Energy and Public Works
- Feb 16, 2026HouseIntroducedIntroduced in House
- Feb 16, 2026HouseCommitteeTo Energy and Public Works
- Feb 16, 2026HouseIntroducedFiled for introduction
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Connected Entities
Sources
www.wvlegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 65)
- Controversy30Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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