Army Corps of Engineers chose not to hold public hearing on Botetourt County Google data center project after getting hundreds of requests for one
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers declined to hold a public hearing on Google’s proposed three-building data center campus in Botetourt County despite receiving 282 requests. The project remains under regulatory review, with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality seeking additional information about wetlands, streams, emissions and other environmental impacts.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Norfolk District decided a public hearing would not provide additional relevant information about Google’s proposed Project Raspberry data center campus in Botetourt County, Virginia. The Corps received 282 hearing requests during its spring public comment period, along with concerns about water, environmental impacts and public interest issues. Officials said the decision not to hold a hearing does not constitute project approval, and the comments will remain part of the regulatory record.
Google has broken ground and begun grading at the Greenfield Industrial Park site, which is planned to include three data centers, substations, roads, utilities, stormwater facilities and an office building. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality said Google has not yet submitted a complete application and continues to request information on wetlands, stream crossings, the project footprint and other issues. Local opposition member Kathryn Hatam criticized the agencies’ handling of the review, while Botetourt County Administrator Gary Larrowe defended the county’s expedited permitting process as a standard administrative procedure.