Rockwool continues to wield the levers of government power against Jefferson County residents in the company’s quest to build a megafactory next to local schools.

The latest outrage is an overreach from the Federal judiciary, which ruled today to preemptively block the Jefferson County Board of Education from making a fair-market purchase of the Jefferson Orchards site.  The judge’s ruling was very disappointing.

The Board of Education (BoE) wants to build a Regional Student Support Center.  The BoE is a democratically elected body exercising its authority under state law for a public purpose.  The federal courts have no business intervening at this initial stage of the process.

Meanwhile, Mountaineer Gas is successfully using eminent domain against Eastern Panhandle farms for its private benefit, and to benefit Rockwool.

There was no justice served today.

Indeed, Rockwool grabbed $2.2 million from West Virginia taxpayers, which it used to “purchase” the site.  And Rockwool intends to transfer title to the JDCA (a government body)  when the plant is completed.  The only “takings” going on at Jefferson Orchards is a foreign company ripping off taxpayers, trampling democracy, and overturning local zoning to put a community at risk.

We continue to support the BoE as they fight to provide a much needed facility to several of our unique student populations and we believe the RSSC is the best use of the Jefferson Orchards property.