See all data centers in Virginia by County that have received DEQ permits for backup generators.
October 2024 video of Loudoun County data center pollution.
Data Center industry says they are using Tier 4, the least polluting diesel generators, but they are not
Diesel emissions put the public’s health at risk and damages property.
EPA regulations are inadequate and DEQ is not studying impacts.
Due to insufficient electrical grid, data centers rely on air polluting diesel generators (4,000 and counting).
Diesel emissions contributes to climate change.
Data Center industry says they are using Tier 4, the least polluting diesel generators, but they are not. Requiring a significant reduction in PM (particulate matter), Tier 4 represents the highest level of clean air regulations for diesel generators proposed to date. The EPA began issuing Tier 4 certification in January 2014. Tier 4 refers to the NSPS emissions standard that became effective on all large stationary generator sets in 2015. However, all generators installed in 2022 and 2023, and the additional ones planned (up to 69 permitted), at the newest AWS Virginia Mallory data center are Tier 2. The facility's Air Permit Application, section 4.6.2 9VAC5 Rule 5-4 – Standards of Performance for Stationary Sources, 3rd paragraph, even states "All the engines being installed at the facility have been certified as meeting EPA’s Tier 2 emission standards".
DEQ Air Quality Assessments Manager indicates they cannot model generators (intermittent) and recommends the county require air monitoring at the data center facilities.
Fairfax County is making no attempt to protect our air quality. With over 4,000 data center diesel generators (map) identified in Loudoun as of early 2023, and Fairfax County encouraging data centers to locate along Route 50 and Stonecroft Blvd., there is no environmental impact study to address this continued threat to air quality and no protections we can ask for without the Special Exception process.
Diesel emissions put the public’s health at risk and damages property. Data centers require large numbers of industrial grade diesel generators contributing to air pollution. Only through the Special Exception process can citizens and the county negotiate for the least polluting, Tier 4, diesel generators, or other alternative, less polluting, energy sources. Diesel exhaust emits particulate matter (PM2.5) that are small enough to be inhaled deeply which not only cause or worsen respiratory issues and are linked to heart attacks but are also carcinogenic to humans. People within 0.5 miles of warehouse-related emissions have higher rates of asthma. The EPA also states that emissions from diesel engines contribute to the production of ground-level ozone which damages crops, trees and other vegetation. Also produced is acid rain, which affects soil, lakes and streams and enters the human food chain via water, produce, meat and fish. Diesel emissions also contribute to property damage and reduced visibility.
EPA regulations are inadequate and the DEQ is not studying impacts. According to a recent study by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, author Joel Schwartz, senior professor of environmental epidemiology, states “The key message here is that U.S. air pollution standards are inadequate in protecting public health. The Environmental Protection Agency recently proposed stricter standards for PM2.5, but their proposal doesn’t go far enough in regulating this pollutant. Current NO2 standards are also woefully inadequate. Unless all of these standards become much, much stricter, air pollution will continue to result in thousands of unnecessary cases of multiple cancers each year.”
According to an August 2023 statement from the DEQ Air Quality Manager, "The Agency does not possess or have information on any studies or data related to the effect of Data Centers on air quality. In addition, we are not aware of any specific studies conducted to determine the impact of data centers on the local air quality." There are only 2 air monitors in all of Fairfax County and none near the new Data Center Alley forming along Route 50 from Route 28 to the Loudoun County border.
Due to insufficient electrical grid, data centers rely on air polluting diesel generators. As of early 2023, there were over 4,000 data center diesel generators in the area; more than any other industry combined. The DEQ already attempted to issue a variance in 2023 to allow the generators to exceed EPA air pollution standards when they could not get enough electricity from the grid – fortunately the variance failed after public outcry. The data centers around the world are using renewable energies, such as hydrotreated vegetable oil and microturbines, why aren’t we? According to an email from the DEQ Air Quality Manager, "The Agency does not possess or have information on any studies or data related to the effect of Data Centers on air quality. In addition, we are not aware of any specific studies conducted to determine the impact of data centers on the local air quality."
Diesel emissions contribute to climate change. Emitting Carbon dioxide (CO2) and Nitrous oxide (N2O), the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that in 2021, diesel (distillate) fuel consumption in the U.S. transportation sector resulted in the emission of about 472 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas.
What pollutants do diesel engines and generators emit? According to the EPA, "When diesel fuel is burned in engines, the emissions that result contributes to air pollution that has serious human health and environmental effects.
Pollution from diesel exhaust includes:
Soot or particulate matter (PM);
Oxides of nitrogen (NOx) which contributes to the production of ground-level ozone (smog) and acid rain;
Hydrocarbons (HC);
Carbon monoxide (CO); and
Other hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) and air toxics.
This air pollution can cause heart and lung disease and a range of other health effects. It can also damage plants, animals, crops, and water resources."