Latest / Commentary - TJ Meadows / A Data Center Deal, Moving TEAM WV, Pushing the Governor Out of LEDA & More

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A Data Center Deal, Moving TEAM WV, Pushing the Governor Out of LEDA & More · Commentary - TJ Meadows

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Friday means a legislative download. Here we go. Governor Patrick
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: Morrissey teased the big economic development announcement, and Thursday he
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: delivered a four billion dollar intelligence center what most call
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: a data center, is headed to Berkeley County. This one
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: belongs to the governor. It was secured entirely under his
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: administration after criticism that no marquee project had landed yet.
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: This changes the conversation, but success raises expectations. One win
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: means pressure for more and ultimately tax dollars need to materialize.
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: Delegate Daniel Linville quickly ran the numbers. He estimates about
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: fifty four million dollars annually in new tax revenue for
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: the state. Berkeley County keeps roughly sixteen million dollars. About
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: twenty seven million dollars flows to the Personal Income Tax
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: Reduction Fund. Smaller amounts go to the water development and
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: electric grid stabilization funds, with the rest distributed statewide. Means
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: means counties benefit even if they don't host a project.
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: According to Lynvill's estimates, Cable County will see about three
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: hundred thousand dollars a year, Mercer County nearly two hundred
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: thousand McDowell around sixty two thousand, not bad, especially when
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: someone else handled the heavy lift, which makes oppositions to
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: projects like this puzzling. Counties need the money and deals
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: like this mean substantial funds if located in your county.
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: Not dismissing environmental concerns, but people should be praying their
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: county lands a center, not protesting landing one. Meanwhile, Team
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: West Virginia, the Job's Ohio style development initiative remains unfinished.
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: The Senate failed to get it moving, so House leadership
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: is advancing it now through House Built four thousand and one,
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: but Senate support remains uncertain. If this doesn't get done,
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: it's the biggest miss of the session and the blame
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: will rest squarely on the Senate. And by the way,
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: Thursday's announcement does not make Team West Virginia unnecessary, thinking
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: that would be a mistake. Forty nine of the states
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  Speaker 1: compete aggressively for investment, West Virginia must do the same,
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  Speaker 1: and Team West Virginia will only produce faster results elsewhere.
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: The Hope Scholarship appears stable for now, pushing bigger debates
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: to next year. Market down, the issue won't go away
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: and is best solved by landing more investment in West
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  Speaker 1: Virginia growing revenue, rather than talks about cutting this program
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: or any other. The House budget passed this week shifts
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: lead a grant dollars from the Governor's office to the Treasurer,
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: a clear reminder the legislature controls the purse strings. House
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: lawmakers don't want the governor's oversight of their grant allocations.
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: Hard to blame them. Finally, a lighter note, First Lady
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: Denise Morrissey stopped by our broadcast location Thursday, stating the obvious,
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: the governor married up, just as many of us did,
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  Speaker 1: including me. The First Lady mentioned her belief House Finance
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: chair Vernon Chris may not have appreciated she and the
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: Governor attending a committee meeting this week with the Hope
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: Scholarship appearing on the agenda. She pointed out these meetings
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: are public in a publicly accessible building. Fair enough. Bottom line,
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: lawmakers have mixed feelings about the Governor or First Lady
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: attending committee meetings. Some see it as a break in protocol,
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: some don't give it a second thought, and yet some
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: see it as a kind of pressure tactic. Chairman Chris
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: did not mind. I'm told that tracks he's been around
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: a while and has a thick skin. It would take
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: a lot more than that to concern him for a
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: deeper dive. Read the full commentary at WV metronews dot
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: com