Economic growth is a big goal on the table for the 2026 legislative session and to achieve that growth, data centers have been popping up statewide. House Bill 2014 was signed into law earlier this year encouraging data centers to come to West Virginia produce their own power sources using microgrids. Some lawmakers are putting new bills on the table to improve transparency and give local communities more control. One is to make sure that counties and municipalities have local control. The second bill addresses the increased tax revenues and who gets those tax revenues to make sure that they benefit the local communities. The third bill is related to the water use, and it requires disclosure of where the water is coming from and where it’s going back to.