Letter to the Editor: Data Center Discussion Deserves Straight Answers, Not Misinformation

The following letter was submitted by Kevin Johnson:

A recent letter to the editor called discussing a data center in Clarion without first conducting environmental and health impact studies “utterly reckless.” I would call it utterly reckless to spread misinformation to a community that deserves straight answers.

I have been in and around data centers all over the world. The picture painted in that letter bears no resemblance to reality.

Take Alexandria, Virginia. A person can drive from one data center to the next for miles without realizing the computing systems they contain. The buildings are silent from the outside. The air quality is no different than anywhere else in the city. Nobody in Alexandria has trouble keeping their lights on 24/7. These are unremarkable buildings doing remarkable work. Clarion would kill to have Alexandria’s walkable downtown full of busy shops, restaurants, pubs, and many other attractions that remain prosperous precisely because of the data center industry presence there.

The letter cites indoor noise levels of 85 to 96 decibels as though neighbors will hear something similar. Many data centers don’t even reach those levels inside the building. For perspective, a typical rock concert registers between 110 and 120 decibels. So, let’s not pretend the description offered in the letter has anything to do with reality here.

The section on cooling emissions is flat-out wrong. The letter claims evaporative cooling releases nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxides. Those are combustion byproducts from diesel generators, a completely different system. Or, the notion that chemical vapors can travel “100 miles or more.” No source is cited because no credible source exists.

Legionnaires’ disease gets thrown in stripped of all context. Legionella risk exists in virtually any HVAC system. Commercial systems, hospital water supplies, hotel plumbing, and decorative fountains all carry the same risk. Singling out data centers for something the entire commercial building industry already manages through standard design and maintenance protocols is not informing the public, it is stoking undue fear.

The letter pretends no rules exist. EPA air quality standards, NPDES water discharge permits, state environmental review, OSHA workplace requirements, ASHRAE cooling tower guidelines, and noise ordinances all govern data center construction and operations. Not one receives a mention.

The letter reads as though building a data center is the Wild West. The truth is the opposite. Data center development is one of the most heavily regulated, carefully engineered, and collaboratively planned undertakings in modern infrastructure. Companies and communities work together through every phase. That is how the process works in every developed society.

New jobs, tax revenue, and economic growth do not come along every day for Clarion County. That opportunity deserves honest and informed discussion, not scare tactics.

To submit a Letter to the Editor, email news@exploreClarion.com.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of EYT Media Group.

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