West Virginia stands at a critical crossroads when it comes to combining energy production and technological innovation. Our access to abundant natural gas reserves as well as a skilled work force allows our state to stand ready to meet America’s energy needs, further artificial intelligence (AI) development, and help future technological advancements.

What we cannot let happen is watch as our neighbors, Ohio and Pennsylvania, harness these opportunities as we stand idly by. Seeing these states announce multiple, lifechanging, investments should serve as a wake-up call to seize our opportunity to do the same. If we don’t act quickly, we’ll continue to stand in empty fields, look across our borders, and watch billions of dollars bypass our state for more prepared neighbors.

At the recent Pennsylvania Energy & Innovation Summit at Carnegie Mellon University, President Donald Trump announced over $90 billion in investments in energy, artificial intelligence (AI), and data centers. This historic commitment–backed by Amazon Web Services (AWS), ExxonMobil, Google, FirstEnergy, EQT, and others–aims to strengthen energy infrastructure, advance AI, and create tens of thousands of jobs in Pennsylvania.

Additionally, AWS has expanded its investment in Ohio to over $23 billion, building five new data center regions and creating nearly 5,000 jobs. Intel’s $20 billion semiconductor plant near Columbus – the largest private investment in Ohio’s history — is helping catalyze a tech corridor powered by nearby data centers and natural gas. Companies like Google, Cologix, and Vantage Data Centers are also pouring billions into Ohio’s data infrastructure.

These achievements weren’t the result of a single leader or a one-size-fits-all policy. They reflect bold, coordinated leadership across government, business, and labor.

West Virginia too can be a leader, but it will take courageous action. Industry leaders like EQT CEO Toby Rice have made it clear: because of insufficient energy infrastructure, a lack of pipelines, weak regulatory support, and inadequate commitment to natural gas power generation, West Virginia risks being left behind.

First, we must establish an Energy and Technology Advisory Council — bringing together leaders from industry, academia, and labor to attract, recruit, and support investment in energy, high-tech data centers, and AI.

Our state is blessed with world-class leaders who could help guide such a council, including Rusty Hutson Jr., CEO of Diversified Energy; John Chambers, former Cisco CEO and West Virginia University alumnus; and Brad Smith, President of Marshall University and former Intuit CEO. By uniting our homegrown energy and technology experts, innovators, educators, and labor leaders, we can position West Virginia to compete locally, as well as globally.

Second, we must also modernize our permitting process. Pennsylvania’s SPEED program and Payback guarantee have slashed permit backlogs by 98% this year by streamlining reviews and leveraging technology to expedite approvals — while still upholding air, water, and environmental standards. We should adopt a similar approach to cut back on our bureaucratic bloat that hinders growth.

Third, to further incentivize investment, West Virginia should follow Ohio’s lead by reducing or eliminating taxes on new energy infrastructure for natural gas and electricity transmission that accompany data center development. We should never punish business leaders for investing in our state.

I guarantee if we implement these policy solutions and combine that with the strong state leadership and federal support from President Trump, and U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito and Jim Justice, we can seize this opportunity. West Virginia’s existing strengths align with the federal policies of energy dominance, regulatory reform, and tax incentives led by President Trump and championed by our federal delegation.

If we delay, we risk losing billions in investment and thousands of jobs to faster-moving states. But grasping this technological boom will create an economic ripple effect that will be felt for decades, boosting local hotels, restaurants, suppliers, and small businesses. Let’s seize it.

(Larry Pack is the 26th State Treasurer of West Virginia.)