When Public Citizen asked TerraWolf to meet publicly with communities surrounding its Maryland facilities, the company declined, arguing that it had no obligation to do so.
“We have it on the record that they cite FERC—the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The rules do not require us to meet in person with the community, so we are not going to,” Slocum said.
The same attitude has been reported in Somerset, New York, where residents and local officials have raised concerns about data center development. Accountability challenges affect every level of the data center technology stack, from energy use and environmental impacts to construction and community investment.
New York Data Center Development Law
In early June, the New York State Legislature passed the Responsible Data Center Development Act, a comprehensive bill addressing the energy and environmental footprint of large-scale data centers.
The legislation would require the Department of Environmental Conservation to conduct environmental impact analyses, establish energy-efficiency standards, and create prevailing-wage requirements for data center construction sites. It would also require a transition to renewable energy by 2040, mandate specific investments from data center developers in host communities, and impose a one-year moratorium on new permits for facilities consuming 20 megawatts or more.
Three months after passing the Legislature, the bill still has not been signed into law. In July, Governor Kathy Hochul signed a narrower executive order imposing a one-year moratorium on permits for hyperscale data centers, but the order left the Legislature’s broader framework untouched.
Neither policy is expected to affect Lake Mariner. The executive order suspends new permits for facilities larger than 50 megawatts, but the planned 500-megawatt expansion at Lake Mariner was approved before the order took effect.
“I think the executive order is a good start and a step in the right direction, but I think the bill is more comprehensive,” Councilor Patrick Carroll said.
Carroll, a Democratic co-sponsor of the bill, urged Hochul to sign the legislation during a rally in Rockland County.
Two months after the fires, Somerset continues to face water-supply problems that have forced firefighters to travel with tanker water. Construction activity is not far behind.
“If we didn’t have a hydrant, the fire would burn out right under their butts,” Mathis said.
Source: arstechnica.com