'No safe amount,' experts worry state regulations won't do enough to protect public from data center pollution
A hyperscale data center, Project Stratos, is proposed for Box Elder County, Utah, but developers have not yet approached the Utah Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for permits. The DEQ outlined a lengthy permitting process including air monitoring, while health experts express concern that current state regulations may not adequately protect public health from potential air pollution.
The possibility of a hyperscale data center, known as Project Stratos, being built in Box Elder County, Utah, is still far from becoming a reality, according to Tim Davis, Commissioner for Utah's Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). Davis stated that the developers, O'Leary Digital, have not yet submitted any plans to the DEQ, and a year of background air monitoring would be required before an air quality permit application could even be submitted. This monitoring would ensure emissions from the data center and its power plant do not adversely affect the Wasatch Front's airshed, an area already designated as a non-attainment area under the Clean Air Act.
However, Dr. David Moench, board president for Utah Physicians for a Health Environment, expressed significant concerns, arguing that current state standards have limitations and are insufficient to protect public health. Moench emphasized that medical research continuously indicates air pollution is more detrimental than previously understood, and from his perspective, there's "no safe amount of community air pollution." He believes air shed boundaries are arbitrary and that O'Leary Digital's project would impact air pollution along the entire Wasatch Front.
Davis acknowledged these concerns but reassured the public that there would be ample opportunity for engagement, including 30-day public comment periods for both air and water quality standards evaluations, with anticipated public hearings. He reiterated that the DEQ's protective processes have not yet begun, stressing that the department's role is to ensure air and water quality are safeguarded, and this will take time.