Environmental group challenges air permit for Spartanburg data center
The Southern Environmental Law Center is challenging South Carolina's air-quality permit for Valara's data center in Spartanburg over revised formaldehyde emissions calculations. The group says the revised information was not available for public review before the permit was approved and is demanding that the comment period be reopened.
The Southern Environmental Law Center is challenging an air-quality permit approved Sept. 18 by the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services for Valara's data center in Spartanburg. The dispute concerns formaldehyde emissions, with the agency revising its estimate from 9.39 tons per year in the draft permit to 10.58 tons in the final calculation.
SELC senior attorney Frank Holleman said the revised emissions information and calculation were introduced after the public comment period, denying residents an opportunity to review them. Spartanburg resident Eric Allison also criticized the process as lacking transparency, while SCDES said its final figure used conservative assumptions and that the permit requires formaldehyde testing of the facility's turbines at different operating loads.