Lackawanna County moving forward with $165k data center health study

Lackawanna County commissioners in Pennsylvania are moving forward with a $165,000 countywide assessment to examine the potential cumulative air-quality and public-health impacts of the region's expanding data center industry. The contract for the "Regional Cumulative Air Quality and Public Health Impact Assessment" was awarded to EmPower Analytics Group LLC, pending review by the county solicitor.

The study, led by Michael Cork, will take 90 days to complete and will analyze existing, proposed, and foreseeable data centers, along with associated power plants and generators across the entire county. Its scope includes inventorying facilities, calculating emissions, modeling pollution travel, and examining impacts from pollutants like fine particulate matter and air toxics, as well as potential health effects such as hospitalizations, emergency room visits, and asthma outcomes.

Commissioner Bill Gaughan stated the assessment is a "small win in the big fight over data center development," crediting residents who have actively voiced their concerns at hearings and through various actions. The goal is to provide expanded, independent information to municipalities and residents as they face more proposed data center projects, with the intention of helping to establish "guardrails for this industry in Lackawanna County."

Officials expressed the critical need for this study, highlighting that it will arm lawyers, cross-examiners, and leaders with data to understand and challenge proposals from developers, who often present claims that "everything's fine."