Lowell Judge Halts Data Center Generator Installation Amid Environmental Lawsuit
A Lowell judge has issued a legal pause, preventing the Markley Group data center from installing four new diesel generators while a lawsuit from neighbors proceeds. Residents are protesting the data center's expansion due to concerns over air quality and other community impacts. The lawsuit alleges that the expansion and generators would harm air quality in the densely populated area.
A judge in Lowell, Massachusetts, has temporarily halted the Markley Group data center's plans to install four new diesel generators. The ruling comes as a lawsuit filed by local residents challenging the expansion makes its way through the legal process. Neighbors and their representatives, including the Conservation Law Foundation, argue that the generators would negatively impact air quality in the densely populated area surrounding the facility, which is the largest data center of its kind in Massachusetts.
Local residents have actively protested the data center's growth, with demonstrations outside Lowell City Hall. Amada Moundele of the city's Party for Socialism and Liberation stated that data centers do not make good neighbors, expressing concerns about noise, air pollution, and potential increases in electricity and water bills for the community. She emphasized that the people of Lowell do not want this data center.
Markley Group, which has operated the data center since 2015 at the site of a former Prince pasta factory, contends that such facilities are crucial for modern digital activities, including cloud services and AI applications. A marketing manager for Markley, Jaclyn Casey, highlighted the data center's role in supporting everyday online activities. However, the judge's decision ensures that the generators cannot be installed until the legal challenge by residents has been resolved.