Amazon, Duke won permits for hundreds of generators. Opponents aren’t done yet.
Environmental groups have filed petitions to challenge air quality permits issued to Amazon and Duke Energy for nearly 650 diesel generators intended for an Amazon data center in Richmond County, North Carolina. Opponents argue that splitting the permits between the two companies illegally evades Clean Air Act requirements and downplays pollution levels. The Southern Environmental Law Center is asking state officials to revoke the permits, citing concerns over increased air pollution in a community already facing health challenges.
The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), representing the Richmond County Coalition for Justice and Black Empowerment, has formally challenged two air quality permits granted to Amazon and Duke Energy for diesel generators at a planned Amazon data center in Richmond County, North Carolina. Petitions filed with the North Carolina Office of Administrative Hearings argue that state officials erred by issuing separate permits for 588 Amazon-operated backup generators and 57 Duke Energy-operated temporary generators, claiming this violates the Clean Air Act by understating the project's total emissions.
Local residents, including Shaun Ingram, co-founder of the Richmond County Coalition for Justice and Black Empowerment, express significant concern over the potential for increased air pollution in a community already struggling with poor air quality and respiratory issues. The SELC contends that a contract between Amazon and Duke Energy suggests a shared operational control that should necessitate a single permit, thereby triggering stricter environmental review requirements.
State officials initially defended the separate permits, citing different ownership and operational timelines for the generators. However, the SELC's petition revealed that the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality officials had not reviewed the contract between the two companies prior to issuing the permits.
This challenge comes as Amazon's $10 billion data center project, heralded as North Carolina's largest capital investment, has secured significant tax incentives from Richmond County. The dispute also follows state regulators' recent rejection of Duke Energy's plan to expand a nearby natural gas plant, a move Duke argued was necessary to meet growing data center energy demand.