Eastport residents seek formal role in federal review of proposed underwater data center
Eastport residents are advocating for a formal role in the federal review of DeepGreen Western Passage SPV LLC's proposed underwater AI data center. A public hearing is scheduled for ordinances aimed at permanently banning large-scale data centers in the area. The Eastport City Council has already enacted a temporary 180-day ban and unanimously opposes the project.
Eastport residents are pushing for a permanent ban on a proposed underwater artificial intelligence data center in the Western Passage by DeepGreen Western Passage SPV LLC. A public hearing is set for Wednesday on two citizen-initiated ordinances, with a key request from the Eastport Coalition for Healthy Oceans (ECHO) for the city to seek intervenor status in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) permitting process. DeepGreen developer Louis Wolfson emphasized that their preliminary permit from FERC is only a "license to study, not a license to construct.
The Eastport City Council previously approved a 180-day temporary ban on data centers. The Eastport Planning Board recommended adopting a permanent ban on large-scale data centers, while advising against another ordinance requiring voter approval for large developments, citing legal counsel's opinion that it would be "unlawful and unenforceable." The City Council has expressed unanimous opposition to the underwater data center, despite some residents' criticism of the city's slow legal action.
ECHO, led by spokesperson Joshua Nicholson and member Birdy Velveteen, has repeatedly requested to add an agenda item to the Wednesday hearing for formal intervenor status, despite initial rejections from city officials. The September 9th meeting is considered a crucial opportunity for the coalition to present its case. FERC has accepted DeepGreen's preliminary permit application and received multiple comments and motions to intervene, with similar projects also proposed for Alaska.