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A little more than a year ago, we wondered whether West Virginia was even going to show up for Gov. Patrick Morrisey's proposed "economic backyard brawl."
It has. And the scoreboard is getting tighter.
Last August, we put the score at 49-0 in favor of our neighbors. Pennsylvania was touting $90 billion in energy and artificial intelligence investment. Ohio and Kentucky were cutting taxes. Virginia already had hundreds of data centers, with more planned.
West Virginia? We were still trying to find the playbook and figure out who was supposed to be on the field.
By November of last year, the picture had improved. Ergon Industries had announced a $400 million investment in Hancock County. Bidell Gas Compression was expanding in Weirton. Billions more in energy-related development was being discussed.
We updated the score to 49-14.
It is time to move the score again.
During the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce's Business Summit earlier this month, Morrisey said West Virginia has secured approximately $96 billion in private-sector investment commitments since October 2025 -- an extraordinary number for a state with an annual gross domestic product of about $109 billion.
Consider: in less than a year, announced investment commitments have approached the value of everything West Virginia's economy produces in an entire year.
The scale becomes even more impressive when our state's population is considered.
With approximately 1.77 million residents, $96 billion represents more than $54,000 in announced investment for every West Virginian.
That is the number that should get our neighbors' attention.
A state our size does not necessarily have to match Pennsylvania, Ohio or Virginia score-for-score to compete. On a per-capita basis, West Virginia can make enormous strides with investments that would barely move the needle in much larger states.
But these are no longer small projects.
NScale and Anthropic have proposed a $69.2 billion first phase of an artificial intelligence data center campus in Mason County. Starwood Digital Ventures is proposing another $12 billion data center development there. Calpine has announced a more than $1 billion natural gas power project in Marshall County. Google has announced plans for a multibillion-dollar data center investment in Putnam County.
Caution is warranted, of course. As we've seen over the years, announcements are not ribbon cuttings. Investment commitments are no guarantee.
Now, the Morrisey Administration must turn announcements into bulldozers, construction jobs, permanent employment and tax revenue for our communities.
West Virginia spent too many years watching major investments land across its borders while wondering why they could not happen here.
Now they are happening here. And this comes at a time when other states -- Pennsylvania and Ohio are two examples -- are changing course with data centers.
Perhaps most encouraging is that West Virginia finally appears intent on turning one of its greatest assets -- abundant energy -- into something more than a commodity shipped elsewhere. Natural gas, coal and electricity can become the foundation for data centers, artificial intelligence, manufacturing and other industries that create long-term economic value here at home.
Last August, we said West Virginia needed to get into the game.
By November, it was on the scoreboard.
Today, with nearly $100 billion in commitments on the table, another update is warranted.
Call it 56-31. Just before halftime.
There remains plenty of game left to play.
But for the first time in a long time, our neighbors might want to start looking over their shoulders and realize the prevent defense isn't working.