YEAR IN REVIEW — Gov. Patrick Morrisey said Monday during a press conference that work done this year to encourage data centers and microgrid projects to come to West Virginia should pay off in 2026. -- Steven Allen Adams

CHARLESTON — Fast approaching his first year as West Virginia’s chief executive, Gov. Patrick Morrisey said that the fundamentals built by his administration in 2025 will help springboard the state into prosperity during the remainder of his term.

Morrisey held a press conference Monday afternoon at the Governor’s Reception Room at the State Capitol, looking back at his first year in office after being elected West Virginia’s 37th governor in November 2024 and a day after turning 58.

“We’re not going to beat our chest, and we’re not going to ignore the challenges on the horizon, but I can tell you that from an economic development perspective, from an education perspective, an infrastructure perspective, we’re focusing on the right things, and we’re going to keep doing that,” Morrisey said. “West Virginia is writing its comeback story, and we’re doing it in real time.”

Morrisey highlighted West Virginia’s 2025 progress while acknowledging the year’s significant hardships, including fatal floods in both the southern and northern parts of the state, as well as the loss of West Virginia National Guard Spc. Sarah Beckstrom during an ambush in November during a volunteer deployment to Washington, D.C., while SSgt. Andrew Wolfe continues his recovery from his gunshot wound.

“We know that this year has brought some hardships,” Morrisey said. “If there’s one thing we showed in 2025, West Virginia takes care of our own. We come together as Team West Virginia, especially during difficult times. And I believe there’s no challenge that we won’t be able to overcome.”

Since taking office on Jan. 13, Morrisey said the state has seen more than $4.5 billion in private investment in West Virginia with more than 5,000 new jobs projected. Some of these announced projects include FirstEnergy’s proposed $2.5 billion natural gas power plant project, Diversified Energy’s $70 million commitment over the next 20 years to plug its orphaned wells, and the $1.2 billion Blackstone natural gas power plant project in Clarksburg.

Other projects announced during Morrisey’s first year include the $7 million Bidell Gas Compression expansion in Weirton, the $400 million Ergon expansion project in Newell and the $453 million Toyota Motor Manufacturing West Virginia expansion project in Putnam County.

“We’ve put so much time and energy into economic development. That’s been our number one priority,” Morrisey said. “We’re not going to beat our chest. We’re going to make sure we keep going because we have a lot more work to be done.”

The state also had a successful application approved by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration for use of $546 million through the federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program to connect more than 73,000 residents to last-mile broadband.

Morrisey attributed the state’s economic comeback to a strategy — beginning with the signing of an executive order last January requiring state departments and agencies to engage in a “Backyard Brawl” with neighboring states — focused on cutting red tape, expanding broadband access, and fostering private investment.

He praised the Legislature for passing bills, such as House Bill 2002, creating a centralized one-top permitting web portal for companies to quickly obtain all their proper permits. Senate Bill 458, the Universal Professional and Occupational Licensing Act, allows for people moving to West Virginia to instantly move their out-of-state licenses with them.

Morrisey emphasizes the importance of workforce development through universal licensing and investments in energy infrastructure, such as the 50 by 50 initiative, a call to increase the number of gigawatts produced by the state from 16 to 50 by 2050. The proposed natural gas power plants in the works would add an additional five gigawatts to what is produced by the state’s power plants. Morrisey first announced his 50 by 50 initiative over the summer.

“When we announced that, there was an awful lot of support behind it,” Morrisey said. “I’m aware of more that’s coming in the near future. This is really incredible because that’s a signal that there are going to be customers there, and some might be data centers. Some might be other manufacturing facilities. But this 50 by 50, that’s a needle mover.”

Another new law that Morrisey said will be helpful to the state’s economy in 2026 is House Bill 2014, aimed at attracting high-impact industrial businesses and data centers to West Virginia along with microgrids to power the data centers using both fossil fuels and renewable energy generation.

The new law streamlines development of data center and microgrid projects, offers regulatory exemptions within designated microgrid districts, establishes a special valuation for property taxes and a new tax distribution framework for high-impact data centers and creates a fund for electric grid stabilization. Rules for these new data center and microgrid districts are still awaiting approval.

“When I came, there were no data centers. Well, we’re getting ready to announce some now, and we’re really, really close,” Morrisey said. “That’s because of the work that we did on HB 2014, to set the kind of regulatory framework that’s going to make it easier to locate here.”

Morrisey also addressed social and fiscal priorities accomplished by his administration, including sending in an application for the federal Rural Health Transformation. The state is seeking at least $500 million – $100 million every year for five years – in federal funding.

“We’re excited, and we think that the monies could be used to improve telehealth, to improve access to care for our citizens, and remove the health barriers that have kept so many West Virginians out of the workforce,” Morrisey said.

Morrisey supported a legislative effort to ban certain food dyes and additives from food, a waiver for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to block purchase of soda, stricter SNAP work requirements, promotion of designated “Mountaineer Mile” walking trails.

“We really look closely to improve healthcare in our state,” Morrisey said. “If you have a healthier population, it means we’re going to have higher workforce participation. It means you can have stronger communities, then there’s less strain in the healthcare system. When you have that, you have a stronger economy. You lift up your standard of living, you have more resources, which then creates a virtuous circle and puts the money back into helping people get healthier.”

Morrisey also talked about his administration’s efforts to weed out diversity, equity and inclusion programs in public schools and colleges through executive order and legislation; support for legislation focused on improving student discipline in public schools and banning use of cell phones in classrooms; and support for a bill defining the terms “sex,” “male,” and “female” in state code, and limiting spaces to biological males and females as well as prohibiting transgender individuals from using facilities based on the gender they identify as.

“It’s important that we’re remembering the fundamentals that matter,” Morrisey said. “Men and women are different, and we’re reflecting that within West Virginia law.”

Morrisey will present his second State of the State address at 7 p.m. Jan. 14 on the first day of the 2026 legislative session, where he will lay out his priorities for the new year and present lawmakers with a balanced general revenue budget for fiscal year 2027 beginning on July 1.

“I’m excited to work with the Legislature to come back again with a renewed focus on these issues next year and be able to get even bigger things done,” Morrisey said. “I think you’ll see in the upcoming weeks we’ve got a lot of big stuff coming. It’s an exciting time to be in West Virginia. I look forward to working with the Legislature and the public in the upcoming weeks and months ahead.”