Data center opponents speak out against Falls site during town hall meeting
Hundreds of residents in Falls Township, Pennsylvania, voiced concerns about electricity rates, water consumption, and air quality impacts from an Amazon data center at a town hall meeting. The event highlighted an upcoming 30-day public comment period regarding Amazon's permit request for emergency generators. Community opposition remains strong, with a petition against the data center garnering over 4,000 signatures.
Hundreds of residents attended a town hall meeting at Pennsbury High School East to express concerns regarding the Amazon data center under construction at the Keystone Trade Center in Falls Township, Pennsylvania. The primary worries centered on potential impacts to electricity rates, water consumption, and air quality. The meeting, arranged by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), lasted nearly four hours as panelists, including representatives from DEP, PECO, Amazon, NorthPoint Development, and Falls Township, addressed a vocal audience.
Key discussions included Amazon's plan to install 280 natural gas-fired and three diesel-fired emergency generator engines. The DEP announced a 30-day comment period from July 18 to August 16 for this permit request, emphasizing that their Air Quality Program Manager, Jillian Gallagher, would ensure compliance with all state and federal laws. She classified the data center as a "minor facility" based on projected emissions, comparable to local hospitals.
Morrisville Municipal Authority (MMA) engineer Bob Campbell clarified that Amazon's peak water use is estimated at 4.4 million gallons per day, with 40% returned through an industrial wastewater treatment plant separate from the drinking water system. PECO representative Glen Murphy addressed electricity concerns, stating that while data centers are energy-intensive, Amazon's large consumption could slightly lower rates for others by contributing more to overall costs. An independent study by PJM Interconnection, which operates the regional grid, found no reliability issues.
Falls resident Amanda Westerman, who initiated a petition opposing the data center, announced it had over 4,000 signatures. Florence Township Mayor Kristan Marter from New Jersey also spoke, questioning the rights of residents across the river regarding potential sound, light, and air quality repercussions. Amazon representatives stated the company has invested over $827 million in the 3-million-square-foot site, which is expected to create thousands of jobs and be under active construction for two to three more years.