Locals urge Ecology to reassess Sabey Data Center's air quality permit analysis
Sabey Data Center's East Wenatchee campus is close to obtaining a pre-construction air quality permit from the Washington State Department of Ecology. However, local residents voiced significant opposition at a public hearing, citing health concerns from increased emissions compounded by wildfire smoke and demanding a more localized impact reassessment.
Sabey Data Center's East Wenatchee campus is nearing approval for a pre-construction air quality permit from the Washington State Department of Ecology. This permit revision would allow the facility to expand its use of diesel-powered emergency generators from 11 to 15, which would increase annual emissions of eight pollutants, including 35 tons of nitrogen oxide and 2.1 tons of particulate matter (PM2.5).
At a public hearing, residents of the Wenatchee Valley expressed strong opposition to the permit, citing severe health impacts from poor air quality, exacerbated by compounding wildfire smoke. They referenced a state study on overburdened communities, which included East Wenatchee and Wenatchee, and urged the Department of Ecology to conduct a more localized reassessment of the permit's environmental impact.