From left to right are Josie Rivers, Cherie Davis, Amanda Shires, Allison Myers and Amber Cook at the Nashville Premiere of ETSU's documentary "NURSE: Empathy Heals" at Belcourt Theatre on Oct. 21 in Nashville, Tennessee.
From left to right are Josie Rivers, Cherie Davis, Amanda Shires, Allison Myers and Amber Cook at the Nashville Premiere of ETSU's documentary "NURSE: Empathy Heals" at Belcourt Theatre on Oct. 21 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Rex Young with Plus Power addresses the Planning Commission about the company's proposal for a second battery energy storage facility near the Broadford substation.
A Texas-based company that is already working to bring a battery energy storage facility to Smyth County has asked for the OK to build a second such facility behind Appalachian Power’s Broadford substation.
In November 2023, the Board of Supervisors approved the first Laurel Creek Energy Storage facility. Both energy storage facilities are projects of Plus Power, a U.S.-owned and -operated company that now runs nine similar facilities across the country.
Laurel Creek Energy Storage II would sit between the first proposed facility and the Broadford substation, where they are expected to tie into the power grid. The second site is about 30.70 acres at Maloyed Place in Saltville.
Rex Young, who addressed the Board in 2023, returned Thursday night for a joint public hearing of the Board of Supervisors and the county Planning Commission. He said that Plus Power aims to be the long-term owner and operator of the Laurel Creek Energy Storage facilities.
To explain what battery storage facilities do, Young urged people to think of them as a sponge soaking up electricity during slow use times such as overnight and then can release it when demand is high. When the energy is needed, Young said it can be discharged in the blink of an eye.
On the coldest winter day when demand is the highest, Young said, this facility can discharge enough energy to help prevent a blackout.
Young noted the ongoing need for energy.
Virginia, he said, is the second largest importer of electricity in the country, sometimes coming in as the top importer. Young also pointed out that the Broadford substation is one of the largest substations in the country.
Young said the battery storage facilities will be able to help ease the strain on the power grid.
Earlier this month, that strain became evident when the U.S. Department of Energy issued an emergency order at the request of PJM, the electricity grid operator for much of the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest, allowing it to order power plants to operate as needed, even exceeding air pollution limits, and data centers and other large users to switch to back-up generators to avoid rolling blackouts.
Sandwiched between the substation and Laurel Creek I, Young said the land is the perfect piece of property for such a facility.
Locally, Young said that the company will be a large taxpayer. Over the expected 20-year facility lifespan, he said, projections indicate they’ll produce $25 million in revenue for Smyth County.
Young also said that the company plans to be a good corporate citizen and undertake charitable giving. He noted that began that practice after Hurricane Helene.
During the 12 to 18 months of construction, he said, about 100 high-paying jobs will be created. Once operational, Young said, the facility will need three to five tech jobs.
Other than for the office trailer, he said no water will be needed. The operation has low lighting needs being dark-sky compliant.
Regarding noise, Young said they’ve done testing and found their facilities will be quieter than the substation.
Laurel Creek Energy Storage I was projected to be a 250 MW facility. Laurel Creek Energy Storage II is set to be a 375 MW operation with a 1500 MW-hour energy storage capacity.
A MWh equals 1,000 kilowatts of electricity generated per hour.
The facilities, Young said, will feature multiple redundant safety features. Every battery cell is constantly being monitored and can be shut down remotely.
He also said that the company will provide specialized training to local firefighters in the event of an incident.
When it comes time to decommission the plant, Young said that the steel, aluminum, and lithium used in the facilities are highly sought for reuse.
As required by county ordinance, company officials have included a decommissioning and land restoration plan. The county also requires a bond to ensure funds are available to cover the costs of decommissioning.
Officials questioned Young about the slow progress of Laurel Creek Energy Storage I.
He noted that PJM Interconnection stopped taking new applications for facilities to connect to the grid for about two years as it restructured.
PJM re-opened the application process earlier this year and it received requests from 811 new generation projects, capable of generating 220 gigawatts of electricity.
Young said that the company hopes to receive more information in January about its applications and timelines.
Once approved for connection, the Laurel Creek facilities plan to connect to the substation through 138-kV electric overhead or underground lines and poles.
After a public hearing on Laurel Creek II, the Planning Commission recommended the Board of Supervisors approve the project’s Special Use Permit with 30 conditions and giving the company six years instead of the usual five because of the PJM process.
The Board of Supervisors is expected to make a decision on Laurel Creek Energy Storage II’s permit application at their meeting on Nov. 12.
If the Special Use Permit is granted, the company must then go to Virginia’s State Corporation Commission for approval.
Ed Morgan
A longtime Southwest Virginia resident and former Abingdon mayor thought he knew the region well, but just over a decade ago a map opened his eyes to how much more he had to learn. Now, Ed Morgan wants to share some of his discoveries about the region’s richness with other people.
On Sunday, Nov. 1, Morgan is coming to Saltville to share his new book, Notes on the State of Southwest Virginia, published in August.
A self-described amateur naturalist, Morgan undertook firsthand research of plants, animals, fungi and microorganisms and the habitats they form in Southwest Virginia.
“Southwest Virginia is the most biodiverse place in the United States and possibly the entire world,” said Morgan, a few years ago. He was recounting how surprised he was to learn about the rich habitat after making his home in the Appalachian region for decades. His epiphany came about in 2015 when he encountered a map published by The Nature Conservancy that indicated that the region’s abundant biodiversity.
Morgan wanted to know more.
In Notes on the State of Southwest Virginia, Morgan shares his journey to learn through essays and memoir exploring the region’s natural world and the people who study and protect it. The title pays homage to Thomas Jefferson’s Notes on the State of Virginia, published in 1785.
What began as plans for a textbook-style publication grew into something more personal. Morgan followed stories connecting wildlife, landscapes, history, and his own experiences in the region.
Researching the book Morgan was blessed with opportunities to go into the field with professional and amateur scientists eager to share their knowledge. Their interests ranged from freshwater mussels and salamanders to rare plants, caves and forests.
Those encounters, Morgan said, helped shape a book intended for curious readers, including those without a scientific background.
Significant portions of Morgan’s book focus on the Saltville area.
He became intrigued by the story of how in 1782 Arthur Campbell carried a mammoth tooth that had been found in Saltville to Thomas Jefferson’s home, Monticello. Morgan set out to find the tooth. That research adventure went from Charlottesville to Philadelphia and Paris. It led him down a “rabbit hole” which explored the Pleistocene age, the differences between mammoths and mastodons, post-revolutionary war politics, Appalachian Mountains balds, smallpox vaccinations, and Jefferson’s slaves.
Just this past week, ETSU paleontologists wrapped up another dig in the well fields of Saltville.
An Abingdon writer, Morgan said he’s spent decades exploring Southwest Virginia. His outdoor experience includes hunting, trapping, flyfishing, cross-country skiing, rock climbing, and long-distance hiking. He said he was privileged to be involved in the initial exploration and mapping of some of the region’s most significant caves.
These days Morgan, who serves as the coordinator of the College for Older Adults at the Southwest Virginia Higher Ed Center, is primarily a birder, a hobby which he notes that everyone can participate in every day.
Along the way to the book’s publication, Morgan has been inspired to celebrate the region’s biodiversity in a variety of ways. A few years ago, he coordinated with The Arts Depot in Abingdon on an art exhibit. The collaboration resulted in an exhibit that encouraged artists to submit work of landscapes and native species, such as black bears, dogwood trees or isopods.
Morgan will present a discussion and signing opportunity for his book on Sunday, Nov. 1, at 2 p.m. at the Museum of the Middle Appalachian’s in Saltville.
J.I. Burton quarterback Brayden Hess scrambles as Chilhowie's Gavin Walker closes in on the tackle on Sept. 4.
J.I. Burton quarterback Brayden Hess scrambles as Chilhowie's Gavin Walker closes in on the tackle on Sept. 4.
Charles Wassum addressed the Smyth County Planning Commission last week.
A Marion citizen has filed a complaint in Smyth County Circuit Court, asking the court to order the Board of Supervisors to repeal the portion of its Zoning Ordinance that regulates data centers.
Charles Wassum III filed the complaint on Oct. 13. The Board of Supervisors has 21 days to file a response.
Wassum also addressed the Planning Commission about the action last Thursday night during their Citizens Time. There, Wassum said that the county’s Comprehensive Plan and the data center zoning regulation don’t align. He said the primary purpose of his complaint is to get them aligned.
Earlier during the Board of Supervisors’ Citizens Time, Wassum, who regularly attends county and Town of Marion meetings, quoted a passage from the Bible’s New Testament in which a lawyer questions Jesus and asks him which commandment is the greatest. Jesus responds, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”
During a public comment period at Monday’s Marion Town Council meeting, Wassum also noted the legal complaint.
During Thursday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, Marion resident Joe Naff asked the supervisors if the data center regulations should be decided in circuit court. He called the law less restrictive than that of other counties and said it’s “questionable at best.” Naff also said the ordinance was morally and ethically suspect. He urged the supervisors to repeal the ordinance and offer more opportunity for public input and for the supervisors re-vote the matter.
Wassum’s complaint alleges, “…when the Board approved the Zoning Ordinance Amendment on September 10, 2026, it unlawfully ignored and acted in contravention to the Comprehension Plan.”
The complaint “seeks injunctive relief and a writ of mandamus issued against the Board to require the Board to immediately repeal the Zoning Ordinance Amendment.”
In past comments before the Board of Supervisors, Wassum has particularly objected to the regulations that allow data centers to locate in agricultural/rural zones with the approval of Special Use Permit.
The complaint notes that Wassum owns land near Water Mill Road that is zoned as Agricultural/Rural.
The complaint says, “Smyth County, as a whole, is an agricultural community that is renowned for its high mountain ranges, large forests, natural beauty, and abundant outdoor recreational facilities. It is a treasured destination and an attraction for the tourism-related business that the Board desires. The Comprehensive Plan espouses a rural quality of life and a landscape reflecting the County’s agricultural and forestal [sic] heritage.”
The complaint also notes that prior to Sept. 10, the Zoning Ordinance classified “data processing facilities” as a by-right use in commercial and industrial districts only.
Among other allegations, the complaint also says, “Until the actual meeting and vote on the September 10, 2026, it was never announced that the Planning Commission or Board was considering or contemplating an end-run around the Zoning Ordinance by allowing a blanket installation of data centers almost anywhere in Smyth County and in any location zoning as Agricultural (A) or Agricultural/Rural (A/R) simply by approving applications for a special use permit.
The complaint also notes that four of the seven supervisors were physically present for the Sept. 10 vote.
Two joined the meeting via electronic means.
News & Mesenger coverage of the county’s work to develop data center regulations began this spring.
In a May news article, it was noted that Assistant County Administrator Clegg Williams recommended “that a governing ordinance could permit large-scale data centers by a special use permit in areas zoned for industrial use. Data centers of any scale could locate in agricultural, agricultural/rural, and commercial zones with a special use permit.”
Throughout the process, county officials emphasized the importance of the special use permit process, which requires a public hearing and also allows supervisors to place multiple conditions upon projects.
The data center regulations also require companies proposing a data center to hold a community meeting about the project before a formal county public hearing is held.
Prior to data centers, the county’s existing Zoning Ordinance did allow a “Call Center and/or Data Processing Facility” in commercial and industrial zones. Some people expressed fear that that language might be used to allow a data center to come into the county.
While county staff didn’t believe large-scale data centers fit that definition, to eliminate uncertainty, in July, the supervisors removed that language from its ordinance.
In June, the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors held a joint public hearing at Marion Senior High School on its proposed data center regulations.
Then in July, county officials held an informal time for citizens to come in and talk about data centers.
In late July, rather than recommending adoption of the data center zoning regulations, the county’s Planning Commission sent the proposed regs back to the committee that first developed them. That group was the Joint Ordinance Committee, composed of three members of the Commission and three members of the Board of Supervisors.
The Joint Ordinance Committee went through the regulations and in several cases toughened them and then recommended their adoption.
On Sept. 10, the supervisors did so.
The issue has been reignited in the last week as a developer is assessing town-owned land near Exit 47 for a project. Because of the type of testing the developer has done, including core and noise tests, people have speculated that the project may be a data center.
While the land is town-owned, if the project should be a data center, the property lies in the county and would be subject to the meetings required by the county regulations.
The Marion Town Council said that until the developer determines if they do want to build on the property, it won’t make a statement. That is accepted practice among local governments working on economic development projects. Projects are rarely announced before they are locked in.
