DEQ explains environmental permitting process amid Laramie County data center boom
The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) held a public forum in Cheyenne to clarify its role in environmental permitting and oversight amidst a data center and industrial development boom in Laramie County. Officials explained the various permits required for air quality, water quality, and solid/hazardous waste, emphasizing that data centers typically use closed-loop cooling systems to minimize wastewater discharge. The DEQ encouraged public participation in the permitting process and acknowledged challenges in managing increased development while ensuring environmental protection.
The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) hosted a public forum at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne to explain its environmental permitting and oversight processes. This event, moderated by Birch Malotky, aimed to clarify the agency's role as Laramie County experiences a significant increase in data center and other industrial developments.
DEQ Deputy Director Nancy Vehr outlined the agency's mission to protect Wyoming's environment and detailed the function of environmental permits, which set conditions for pollutant emissions, monitoring, and reporting. She highlighted the separate Industrial Siting Division and its council, which issues permits for large projects, while emphasizing that even exempt projects must still comply with other environmental requirements.
Administrators from the DEQ's Air Quality, Water Quality, and Solid and Hazardous Waste divisions provided further detail. Amber Potts, Air Quality Administrator, explained the need for air permits for all facilities emitting pollutants and the New Source Review program. Jennifer Zygmunt, Water Quality Administrator, noted that data centers typically propose closed-loop cooling systems, reducing conventional wastewater discharges. Suzanne Engels, Solid and Hazardous Waste Administrator, discussed requirements for waste management, particularly for on-site disposal.
Officials stressed the importance of public participation during comment periods for proposed permits and acknowledged the complexity of the permitting landscape due to multiple divisions. Cheyenne City Councilman Larry Wolfe raised concerns about DEQ's resources to manage the rapid growth, to which Vehr responded that the agency monitors workload and seeks additional resources when necessary.