Virginia Regulators Downplayed Data Center Health Concerns, Emails Reveal
The Data Center Coalition's dissemination of the state's report sparked a wave of stories in local media outlets, with some framing the DEQ's analysis as a rebuke of the Piedmont Environmental Council's findings. However, health experts and former DEQ officials countered that the agency's report was misguided and overstepped its authority. They argued that the DEQ's role is to ensure compliance with environmental regulations, not to weigh in on the potential health impacts of a facility's emissions. By doing so, the agency may have inadvertently legitimized the data center industry's claims that its facilities are safe, despite growing concerns about the environmental and health consequences of their operations. The controversy has also raised questions about the relationship between the DEQ and the data center industry, with some critics accusing the agency of being too cozy with the companies it is supposed to regulate. As the debate continues, Virginia residents living near data centers are left to wonder about the potential risks to their health and the environment, and whether the state's regulatory framework is adequate to protect them. The DEQ's actions have also drawn attention from lawmakers, who are beginning to scrutinize the agency's handling of data center permits and its relationship with the industry.
The DEQ report claimed it was created in response to inquiries about the Piedmont analysis, but internal emails reveal that the agency had begun organizing its rebuttal before the analysis was publicly released. According to Irina Calos, DEQ's communications manager, the agency's staff did not collaborate with the Piedmont Environmental Council, Vantage, or any other external participants in assessing the report.
Vantage's Loudoun County facility was established before the current nationwide push for data centers to generate their own power, which has been driven by public concerns over rising electricity prices resulting from the AI boom. President Donald Trump recently discussed building power plants for new data centers during a White House meeting with technology companies.
Meanwhile, in Virginia, plans for self-powered data centers are already underway. Dominion Energy, the region's largest utility, receives around 10 new grid connection requests from large customers every month, as disclosed in a February regulatory filing. This has resulted in a substantial backlog of planned data centers waiting for power, with dozens of projects requiring a total of 70 gigawatts of power – equivalent to 70 nuclear plants.
The planned data centers could have significant repercussions, particularly for those living near the Vantage facility in Sterling, who complain about the constant noise and air pollution from the natural gas turbines. The permits issued by DEQ in 2023 allow for cumulative emissions of seven pollutants, including 95 tons per year of nitrogen oxides and over 56 tons of soot, which contribute to asthma and heart attacks.
To quantify the potential effects, the Piedmont Environmental Council hired Michael Cork, a research fellow in biostatistics at Harvard University's T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Cork used publicly available information to estimate the health effects of the facility's pollution within the affected area. His analysis found that soot pollution could lead to $53 million to $99 million in annual health costs and 3.4 to 6.5 premature deaths annually if the facility released the maximum allowed pollution.
After Piedmont published the analysis, DEQ staff drafted a preliminary critique, questioning the computer model used and the description of the facility's air pollution as dangerous. However, health experts argue that soot pollution can harm human health even at levels deemed acceptable by the EPA, citing the World Health Organization's stricter standards.
Michael Kiss, the manager, downplayed the potential health impacts, stating that the "magnitude of impacts isn't necessarily surprising and are relatively low." In an email to colleagues, Kiss expressed hesitation to delve deeper into the issue, saying "I am not sure we want to get into the weeds any further than that at this point."
Later, air permit coordinator Stanley Faggert requested a detailed response to the Piedmont report, seeking a comparison of computer models used in the analysis. However, Faggert acknowledged that the DEQ staff lacked the qualifications to conduct such a review.
It emerged that DEQ's Rolband had been in contact with Vantage executives before the Piedmont report was released. Phillip McAuley Jr., Vantage's senior manager for public policy, had sent Rolband an email outlining steps taken to reduce noise at the facility and describing the gas turbines as a temporary solution due to power constraints.
After the Piedmont report was published, Rolband shared it with McAuley, who responded by sending a public statement that highlighted the report's reliance on the maximum allowed pollution levels. Vantage's president for global marketing, Mark Freeman, stated that the company maintains regular engagement with DEQ and other local officials to ensure responsible operations.
The DEQ's final report, released in late April, included points made by McAuley and calculated that Vantage's actual emissions were significantly lower than the permitted levels. However, the report also included information that seemed unrelated to the issue at hand, such as citing Loudoun County's overall health statistics.
Former DEQ director Burnley questioned the inclusion of such information, stating that it was not the department's role to make such declarations. The report also criticized the computer model used in the Piedmont analysis and claimed that the facility's pollution was unlikely to cause health impacts due to low ambient soot levels.
Michael Cork, who conducted the analysis, stood by his findings, noting that even if Vantage's emissions were lower than permitted, the facility could still increase pollution levels. Using the actual emission data disclosed by DEQ, Cork recalculated the potential health damages, estimating that they could amount to between $33 million and $63 million, including two to four premature deaths.
Damian Pitt, who directs Virginia Commonwealth University’s Institute for Sustainable Energy and Environment, called Vantage’s emissions “fairly significant.” He was not involved in Cork’s or DEQ’s analyses but has conducted his own data center pollution research.
“It’s comparable to the emissions you get from small gas power plants that don’t have data centers attached,” Pitt said. “The difference is those power plants aren’t in neighborhoods.”
Pitt's comments highlight the concern that data centers, like Vantage, are often located near residential areas, potentially exposing more people to pollution. This issue is likely to become more pressing as the demand for data centers continues to grow, driven by the increasing need for cloud computing and data storage.
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality has not announced any plans to revisit the Vantage permit or to re-examine the health impacts of the facility's emissions. However, the controversy surrounding the facility has sparked a broader discussion about the environmental and health implications of data center development in the region.
As the tech industry continues to expand in Northern Virginia, policymakers and regulators will face increasing pressure to balance economic growth with environmental and public health concerns. The case of Vantage's data center serves as a test case for how these competing interests will be managed, and whether the state will prioritize the health and well-being of its residents over the interests of the tech industry.
The DEQ report claimed it was created in response to inquiries about the Piedmont analysis, but internal emails reveal that the agency had begun organizing its rebuttal before the analysis was publicly released. According to Irina Calos, DEQ's communications manager, the agency's staff did not collaborate with the Piedmont Environmental Council, Vantage, or any other external participants in assessing the report.
Vantage's Loudoun County facility was established before the current nationwide push for data centers to generate their own power, which has been driven by public concerns over rising electricity prices resulting from the AI boom. President Donald Trump recently discussed building power plants for new data centers during a White House meeting with technology companies.
Meanwhile, in Virginia, plans for self-powered data centers are already underway. Dominion Energy, the region's largest utility, receives around 10 new grid connection requests from large customers every month, as disclosed in a February regulatory filing. This has resulted in a substantial backlog of planned data centers waiting for power, with dozens of projects requiring a total of 70 gigawatts of power – equivalent to 70 nuclear plants.
The planned data centers could have significant repercussions, particularly for those living near the Vantage facility in Sterling, who complain about the constant noise and air pollution from the natural gas turbines. The permits issued by DEQ in 2023 allow for cumulative emissions of seven pollutants, including 95 tons per year of nitrogen oxides and over 56 tons of soot, which contribute to asthma and heart attacks.
To quantify the potential effects, the Piedmont Environmental Council hired Michael Cork, a research fellow in biostatistics at Harvard University's T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Cork used publicly available information to estimate the health effects of the facility's pollution within the affected area. His analysis found that soot pollution could lead to $53 million to $99 million in annual health costs and 3.4 to 6.5 premature deaths annually if the facility released the maximum allowed pollution.
After Piedmont published the analysis, DEQ staff drafted a preliminary critique, questioning the computer model used and the description of the facility's air pollution as dangerous. However, health experts argue that soot pollution can harm human health even at levels deemed acceptable by the EPA, citing the World Health Organization's stricter standards.
Michael Kiss, the manager, downplayed the potential health impacts, stating that the "magnitude of impacts isn't necessarily surprising and are relatively low." In an email to colleagues, Kiss expressed hesitation to delve deeper into the issue, saying "I am not sure we want to get into the weeds any further than that at this point."
Later, air permit coordinator Stanley Faggert requested a detailed response to the Piedmont report, seeking a comparison of computer models used in the analysis. However, Faggert acknowledged that the DEQ staff lacked the qualifications to conduct such a review.
It emerged that DEQ's Rolband had been in contact with Vantage executives before the Piedmont report was released. Phillip McAuley Jr., Vantage's senior manager for public policy, had sent Rolband an email outlining steps taken to reduce noise at the facility and describing the gas turbines as a temporary solution due to power constraints.
After the Piedmont report was published, Rolband shared it with McAuley, who responded by sending a public statement that highlighted the report's reliance on the maximum allowed pollution levels. Vantage's president for global marketing, Mark Freeman, stated that the company maintains regular engagement with DEQ and other local officials to ensure responsible operations.
The DEQ's final report, released in late April, included points made by McAuley and calculated that Vantage's actual emissions were significantly lower than the permitted levels. However, the report also included information that seemed unrelated to the issue at hand, such as citing Loudoun County's overall health statistics.
Former DEQ director Burnley questioned the inclusion of such information, stating that it was not the department's role to make such declarations. The report also criticized the computer model used in the Piedmont analysis and claimed that the facility's pollution was unlikely to cause health impacts due to low ambient soot levels.
Michael Cork, who conducted the analysis, stood by his findings, noting that even if Vantage's emissions were lower than permitted, the facility could still increase pollution levels. Using the actual emission data disclosed by DEQ, Cork recalculated the potential health damages, estimating that they could amount to between $33 million and $63 million, including two to four premature deaths.
Damian Pitt, who directs Virginia Commonwealth University’s Institute for Sustainable Energy and Environment, called Vantage’s emissions “fairly significant.” He was not involved in Cork’s or DEQ’s analyses but has conducted his own data center pollution research.
“It’s comparable to the emissions you get from small gas power plants that don’t have data centers attached,” Pitt said. “The difference is those power plants aren’t in neighborhoods.”
Pitt's comments highlight the concern that data centers, like Vantage, are often located near residential areas, potentially exposing more people to pollution. This issue is likely to become more pressing as the demand for data centers continues to grow, driven by the increasing need for cloud computing and data storage.
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality has not announced any plans to revisit the Vantage permit or to re-examine the health impacts of the facility's emissions. However, the controversy surrounding the facility has sparked a broader discussion about the environmental and health implications of data center development in the region.
As the tech industry continues to expand in Northern Virginia, policymakers and regulators will face increasing pressure to balance economic growth with environmental and public health concerns. The case of Vantage's data center serves as a test case for how these competing interests will be managed, and whether the state will prioritize the health and well-being of its residents over the interests of the tech industry.
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