05/23/2026
DATA UPDATE: When we started the WV Utility Impact Project, we honestly didn’t know if anyone would respond. As of today, we have collected 10,190 testimonies from West Virginians across all 55 counties.
Statewide, those 10,170 entries represent about 0.57% of West Virginia’s population.
Some counties are already showing incredible participation:
• Wyoming County: 2.35%
• Lewis County: 2.18%
• Logan County: 1.40%
• Clay County: 1.43%
• Mingo County: 1.30%
• Calhoun County: 1.28%
But counties like Kanawha, Monongalia, Berkeley, Ohio, and Wood are still sitting below 0.30% despite having some of the largest populations in the state.
If we reached just 5% statewide participation, that would mean nearly 90,000 West Virginians sharing their experiences. Our goal is 100,000 because at that point we want to look these people in power in the face and tell them Where We Go From Here WV.
We want to reiterate this as often as we can: statistics and profits and numbers are NOT more important than people.
AGAIN: NUMBERS, STATISTICS AND PROFITS ARE NOT MORE IMPORTANT THAN PEOPLE.
That said, datasets this large become increasingly difficult, close to impossible, to discount in policy discussions, legal filings, media coverage, and public accountability.
We want the powers that be to know that just because they promised we won't be passed down that utility burden from these data centers that we already have plenty of baseline data to prove they're doing exactly that.
Electricity alone with Applachian Power has increased 52% since 2016. That's insanity.
Every testimony you provide matters. Don't worry about your data being an outlier. If you're West Virginian, we need you as much as you all say you need us!
We have our team looking manually at every single bill, shutoff notice, letter and piece of evidence submitted. We have candidates and agencies booking meetings most days of the week. We can't stop now.
We have the lawyers in active discussions with us multiple times a week, even if it's just to touch base for 10-15 minutes. The plaintiffs for the original appeal were set, but we are looking to move to class action very soon. Please bear with us. We didn't get here overnight, and we won't get out of this pickle overnight either.
Every family choosing between groceries and utilities? Every small business trying to survive? We see you. We hear you. You may find a member of our team reaching out if we are worried about you. Please take it as a message of love and concern. Neighborly affection. We don't want to pour any salt in wounds. We're here to build community.
This project is becoming one of the largest grassroots datasets on utility hardship in West Virginia history, and it only exists because people so far have trusted us enough to tell the truth about what the realities of today's version of the company store is.
We work harder than so many in this country all for the money to disappear before we even see the fruits of anything but bare bones survival.
It has to stop. We are worthy of dreaming of more than basic clean drinking water and being able to pay all our bills without accumulating insurmountable debt, illness and hardship. We deserve an existence that reflects the inalienable rights endowed by our Creator: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
We know Appalachian Power said they're "disappointed" in our appeal. "We know a lot of our customers are already under real financial pressure, and we understand how important it is to keep monthly bills as manageable as possible,” said Brian Abraham, APCo president and chief operating officer. “That is why this outcome matters. It helps us continue making the investments needed to keep power reliable while avoiding a much larger increase that would have been even harder on the families and businesses we serve.”
Yeah... about that, Brian,... we already can't manage it.
In energy policy and utility economics, households spending more than roughly 6% of income on energy costs are often considered “energy burdened.” Many of the counties in our dataset appear to exceed that threshold substantially based on the reported bill averages. On average, based on this data, WV's population is greater than 7%.
If you haven’t submitted yet, please do. If you already have, help us keep spreading it county by county. ⬇️
https://form.jotform.com/260745171610047
Check our events for summer town halls. We're not going anywhere.
