By Ryan Applegate
People’s Defender
A newly released federal permit has added a significant piece of information to Adams County’s ongoing conversation about potential data center development. On February 18, 2026, the United States Army Corps of Engineers approved a Nationwide Permit 39 verification for a large industrial development known as the Buck Canyon Site Project. The authorization confirms that extensive grading, stream crossings, and wetland impacts have been approved for a 1,016 acre site located north and east of Ginger Ridge Road, west of U.S. Route 52 in Sprigg Township, and within sight of the former J.M. Stuart coal plant.
The applicant, 68 Yards, LLC, requested permission to discharge dredged and fill material into waters of the United States as part of constructing twelve buildings, internal roadways, five stormwater basins, and utility infrastructure. The Corps found that the project met the criteria for commercial and institutional development under federal rules provided the developer complies with a long list of special conditions and mitigation requirements. These include the permanent loss of 1,893 linear feet of streams and 0.06 acre of wetlands, offset by the purchase of 4,281 linear feet of stream mitigation credits through The Nature Conservancy’s in lieu fee program.
The project footprint includes portions of Elk Run, Carter Hollow, and two smaller streams. The Corps’ documents indicate that the developer must maintain fencing and a 100 foot buffer around three cemeteries on the site, including the Boone Cemetery and Davidson Cemetery. Cultural resource surveys did not identify eligible archaeological sites within the affected areas, and the Corps determined the project would have no effect on historic properties if buffer requirements are followed.
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