Lowell residents protest controversial data center expansion
Lowell, Massachusetts residents are protesting the expansion of the Markley Data Center, citing environmental concerns and alleging that the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection improperly granted permission. Residents have filed a lawsuit seeking a preliminary injunction to halt the addition of eight new diesel generators. Markley Group maintains the data center is vital for the state's digital infrastructure.
Residents of Lowell, Massachusetts, an environmental justice community, are actively protesting the expansion of the Markley Data Center, which has operated in the Sacred Heart neighborhood since 2015. Protesters assert that the facility "sticks out like a sore thumb" and unfairly consumes local resources without providing community benefits. Their primary concern revolves around the planned addition of eight new diesel generators.
The residents claim that the Markley Group's expansion proceeded without the required rigorous public appeals process. Consequently, plaintiffs have taken the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to court, seeking a preliminary injunction to prevent the installation of the diesel generators. They allege that the DEP failed to conduct proper research into the data center's environmental impacts before approving the expansion.
Conversely, the Markley Group emphasizes the data center's critical role in supporting Massachusetts' digital infrastructure, facilitating everyday activities such as mobile banking, video streaming, and text messaging. A reporter noted that the noise from the facility's existing diesel generators, which Markley states are run for five minutes weekly for tests, was audible but not deafening. However, residents living nearby report the data center as a constant source of problems.
The timing of a judicial ruling on the data center's expansion and the preliminary injunction remains uncertain.