Recent approvals of multiple clusters of mega data center campuses in Prince William County have resulted in 47 million square feet of data centers built or zoned. Of this 47 million square feet, only 12% has been built to date. The MEGA data center campuses that have been approved adjacent to homes and schools have barely started construction.
Even WITHOUT a diesel pollution variance residents of Manassas, Gainesville, Bristow and Haymarket are at risk for diesel pollution due to:
The bottom line is that even WITHOUT a variance we are looking at neighborhoods in Manassas and Western Prince William County at high risk for diesel and particulate matter. Of note is that unlike working adults, children and seniors are at even higher risk because they spend almost all their time in their neighborhood.
This proposed variance increases the present danger of diesel and particulate pollution in Northern Virginia and would also set a dangerous precedent that county planning officials and Supervisors, particularly in PWC, can count on support from DEQ to continue the frenzied zoning pace and approve even more mega data center campuses.
I urge DEQ to pay close attention to the safety of the citizens of Manassas, Gainesville, Bristow and Haymarket as a practically contiguous zone of massive clusters of data centers is being zoned around them. I further urge DEQ to stand up for the people of this community as PWC officials look to double down on this crisis by approving the largest data center alley in the world, rezoning of the PW Digital Gateway.
Zoning approvals of data centers at never-before-seen numbers being paired with blind faith that this many data centers would be environmentally sustainable on any level, including the electrical grid, are a high risk gamble.
Ally Stoeger, OD
Director, Health and Safety Policy
HOA Roundtable of Northern Virginia