Lowell, Massachusetts, residents sue to halt Markley data center expansion
Residents in Lowell, Massachusetts, are fighting the expansion of the Markley data center, citing concerns about noise and air pollution. They successfully secured a one-year moratorium on data center development, but have now filed a lawsuit alleging the developer and state officials attempted to bypass necessary permitting for an expansion.
Residents of Lowell, Massachusetts, are actively opposing the expansion of the Markley data center, which they have nicknamed "the dungeon" due to its appearance and proximity to homes.
Jake Fortes, a resident and plaintiff in a new lawsuit, claims that the data center's industrial air conditioners create significant noise, particularly in the summer. Residents also allege that the facility contributes to air pollution and health issues, citing EPA data that places their census block group in the 97th percentile for nitrogen oxide emissions and 90th percentile for adult asthma rates nationwide.
Last month, Lowell residents successfully pushed for a one-year moratorium on data center development in the city. However, a lawsuit filed by the Environmental Justice Law and Advocacy Clinic at Yale Law School (EJLAC), with co-counsel Conservation Law Foundation, accuses state officials and Markley developers of attempting to circumvent necessary state air pollution control laws and permitting requirements to proceed with an expansion. The lawsuit seeks to prevent this alleged unlawful circumvention. Markley's corporate vice president, Adam Burnham, has dismissed residents' noise complaints as exaggerations, although a local reporter noted generators were quiet during a tour, with Burnham unable to specify if they were operating at a reduced load.