West Virginia House Bill HB4983

West Virginia 2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/30/26
• Refer: 1/30/26
• Engrossed: 2/17/26
• Refer: 2/19/26
• Report Pass: 3/6/26
• Enrolled: 3/13/26
• Passed: 3/30/26

Caption

Authorizing the Department of Commerce to promulgate a legislative rule relating to certification of a microgrid district or certification as a high impact data center

Summary

HB4983 amends West Virginia Code §64-10-1 to authorize two Department of Commerce-related legislative rules. First, it approves the Division of Economic Development rule on Tourism Development Districts (145 CSR 16). Second, it approves the Department of Commerce rule on certification of a microgrid district or certification as a high impact data center (145 CSR 20), as modified during the rule review process and then further amended by the Legislature. The bill is primarily a rule-approval measure rather than a broad policy overhaul. It gives legal effect to administrative rules governing how tourism development districts are established and how microgrid districts or high impact data centers are certified. The enrolled bill also adds a specific amendment to the microgrid/data center rule, inserting language about the “use or access of water,” which suggests legislative attention to utility or resource-related considerations in those certifications.

Impact

HB4983 updates state law by expressly authorizing the cited Department of Commerce and Division of Economic Development rules, allowing them to be enforced as part of West Virginia’s regulatory framework. The bill affects the agencies responsible for economic development, tourism district designation, and certification of microgrid districts and high impact data centers, and it incorporates a legislative amendment concerning water use or access into the final approved rule text.

Sentiment

The overall sentiment appears favorable, with the bill ultimately passing both chambers by comfortable margins and being made effective from passage. The vote history shows some early resistance to amendments in the House, but the underlying rule authorization and final concurrence were approved decisively, indicating broad support for the economic development and infrastructure-related regulatory package.

Contention

The main point of contention appears to have been the specific language added to the microgrid/high impact data center rule, especially the amendment inserting “or access of water.” The rejected amendment votes in the House suggest some disagreement over how the rule should be shaped before final approval. No committee transcript is available, but the recorded votes indicate that while there was debate over details, the Legislature ultimately agreed on authorizing the rules with the amended language.