State regulators to hold public hearing for Amazon's large Richmond County data center
State regulators are holding a public hearing in Rockingham, North Carolina, regarding Amazon's proposed 650-acre data center in Richmond County, which would utilize nearly 600 diesel generators. Environmental advocates and local residents are protesting the Title V air quality permits sought by Amazon and Duke Energy, citing concerns over air and water pollution in an area already facing environmental burdens.
The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NC DEQ) is holding a public hearing in Rockingham for Amazon's proposed 650-acre data center in Richmond County. The project is designed to include 21 data center buildings, powered by nearly 600 diesel generators.
Amazon and Duke Energy have applied for Title V permits from the NC DEQ, a program that regulates the state's largest polluters. Duke Energy is slated to operate 60 leased generators temporarily until Amazon's permanent generators are fully operational. This development has sparked significant environmental concern, particularly from groups like Clean Water for NC, who plan to protest the permits and organize residents in Hamlet.
Shaun Ingram, co-founder of the Richmond County Coalition for Justice and Black Empowerment and a Rockingham native living near the site, has voiced serious concerns about potential air and water pollution. He noted that Richmond County already grapples with water quality issues, referencing the Charles Macon Lagoon and Drum Storage Superfund Site designated by the EPA in 1983. Amazon's own report acknowledged that Richmond County ranks among the least healthy in the state, and the CDC has labeled the facility's census tract as "highly burdened" by pollution.
State regulators are accepting public comments on the permits until Friday, July 31, following the hearing at the Old Richmond County Courthouse.