CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WVDN) — The West Virginia Air Quality Board (AQB) heard two days of testimony on Dec. 3 and 4 in an appeal filed by three citizen groups seeking to revoke and reclassify an air quality permit for the proposed Ridgeline methane gas power plant in Tucker County. The board did not issue a decision and has 60 days to rule.
Tucker United, the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, and the Sierra Club filed the appeal on Sept. 12, challenging the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s approval of the permit.
The hearing was held at the WVDEP headquarters in Charleston. Before the hearing began, more than a dozen supporters gathered outside the building for a peaceful rally opposing the project.
The groups are represented by Mike Becher of Appalachian Mountain Advocates. Lawyers for the WVDEP and Fundamental Data were also present at the hearing.
The original appeal raised 17 specific objections, of which 15 were considered during the hearing, to the issuance of the permit. The objections focused primarily on the WVDEP’s misclassification of the facility as a synthetic minor source of emissions instead of a major source, and the redaction of critical data to calculate air pollutant emissions. At an earlier hearing, the AQB granted the citizen groups’ request for attorney and expert witness access to the unredacted permit to allow for an independent analysis of the project’s anticipated impacts. This information was presented on Dec. 3 by Dr. Ron Sahu, who testified in support of Tucker County residents’ position that the application was wrongly classified as a synthetic minor source.
Although the AQB did not issue a ruling, it expects to conclude its consideration of the presented evidence and arguments by Feb. 2, 2026.
“The testimony over the past two days shows this permit was issued without the most basic information the public needs to understand the risks of this project, and that the emissions estimates simply don’t hold up to scrutiny. The amount of redacted information is unheard of for a power plant of this size and complexity, making it impossible to tell whether this facility can actually meet the limits it must follow to be considered a synthetic minor source,” said Olivia Miller, program director at the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy. “Our expert explained that the plant’s real emissions will fluctuate dramatically outside the assumptions DEP accepted, and without real measurements, this permit is nothing more than guesswork. Communities in Tucker County, and anyone concerned about similar projects across the state, deserve a process grounded in science and truth, not secrecy.”
Tucker United and its partners said they expect the Air Quality Board to carefully weigh the evidence presented during the hearing and conclude that the Ridgeline permit should be revoked and reclassified. The groups said they will continue working for inclusion of the public and public dissemination of information regarding this project.
“We are confident in our legal team’s smart, technical, and well-informed comments demonstrating that the facility should be reclassified as a major source of pollutants,” said Nikki Forrester, spokesperson of Tucker United. “We are heartened by all the support we’ve received from West Virginians as well as people outside of the state who are invested in this fight. Tucker United and all our allies will continue organizing across the state to fight power plant and data center complexes that will harm our communities.”
