A planned closed-door meeting about a proposed TransGas data center in Mingo County turned public after residents arrived demanding answers.
Adam Victor Jr., representing TransGas, opened the meeting at the Larry Joe Harless Community Center and spoke for hours about the project, which he says could bring 500 to 1,000 jobs. Victor said the facility would be self-sustaining, using its own power plants and mine pool water rather than the local grid. He also described it as a new type of large-scale data center unlike smaller facilities already operating nationwide.
But residents remained skeptical. Climate and energy organizer Tyler Cannon criticized what he called a lack of transparency and a rushed permitting process, and raised concerns about a possible ammonia plant. Afterward, community members held a news conference, saying they were unsatisfied with the company’s answers.