Virginia Regulatory Town Hall
Agency
Department of Environmental Quality
 
Board
Department of Environmental Quality
 
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2/24/23  1:46 pm
Commenter: John Lyver, Ph.D.

Do not Allow unlimited Polution from Data CEnter Diesel Generators
 

The proposal is making the issue of lack of electrical power worse.  Rather than controlling need for adequate electric supply to northern Virginia, the proposal admits that the growth of data centers is extreme and beyond what the infrastructure can handle.  The Commonwealth should be attacking the REAL problem of nearly unlimited growth of data centers and the impending brown-outs and black-outs in Northern Virginia.  Additionally, the allowance of diesel-electric generators to run 24/7 will create two distinctly deadly issues:  (1) the unchecked amounts of diesel engine pollution (e.g.; NO) added into our air and (2) the extreme noise that each diesel generator will generator.  The average data center building produces between 60 and 65 decibels each.  Each data center building has 20-30 diesel generators producing 100-110 decibels of noise.  We already have a toxic level of noise in our neighborhoods near data centers already causing documented stress induced noise related medical issues.  Running these diesel generators 24/7 will make this issue drastically worse.  PLEASE do not approve this proposal - PROTECT or citizens should be your FIRST priority.

CommentID: 209028