North Carolina Approves Air Permits for Amazon Data Center in Richmond County Amid Environmental Concerns
State officials have approved air permits for an Amazon data center in Hamlet, North Carolina, which will rely on temporary and emergency generators. Community advocates and residents in Richmond County are raising significant concerns about the potential increase in air pollution, citing existing high rates of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases in the area. Environmental groups are considering appealing the permits.
North Carolina state officials have granted air permits to Amazon and Duke Energy for a $10 billion data center under construction in Hamlet, Richmond County. The permits allow Duke Energy to operate temporary "bridge-power" generators for a year to provide 1 gigawatt of energy to the facility before it connects to the grid, and Amazon to use emergency backup generators during outages. Combined, these permits approve 645 generators, which are projected to emit hundreds of tons of air pollution.
Local residents, organized by the Richmond County Coalition for Justice and Black Empowerment, expressed strong opposition, citing the county's already high rates of heart disease and lung cancer. Shaun Ingram, a Richmond County native and advocate, highlighted the community's existing health struggles and called for tighter emission restrictions. Caroline Cress, an attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center, criticized the permitting process, arguing that the two permits should have been combined into a single major stationary source permit, which would have triggered more stringent Clean Air Act requirements, including pre-construction air quality monitoring.
State environmental officials defended the decision, stating that the two permitted activities are controlled by different companies and serve different purposes, thus justifying separate permits. The project, initially announced last June with Governor Josh Stein in attendance, was reportedly negotiated secretly with Amazon by Richmond County officials before public input. Amazon recently held an open house, reassuring residents of its commitment to responsible operations and outlining community investments, including $1.5 million for a fire department and a partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Despite these efforts, Ingram views the project as another example of companies exploiting the community, and environmental groups are exploring legal avenues to appeal the approved air permits. Operations at the data center are expected to commence early next year.