Lowell councilors press Markley Group on diesel tanks, schedule site visit and sustainability talks

Markley Group representatives told a Lowell City subcommittee they are seeking council permission to add four diesel storage tanks to fuel backup generators at 1 Markley Way, increasing on‑site capacity by roughly 24,000 gallons and raising total on‑site capacity from about 47,000 to about 71,000 gallons.

The matter drew sustained public comment and questions from councilors about air emissions, neighborhood safety and long‑term plans. The subcommittee did not vote to approve any permits; members instead scheduled a council site visit that will include abutters and the city sustainability director, and set a first reading/public hearing for later in the month so the community can comment again.

Why it matters: the Markley data center provides resilience to telecommunications and institutional clients, the company says, but neighbors and some councilors said locating additional large fuel tanks and more generators next to residential streets raises environmental‑health and safety concerns in an area with existing pollution burdens.

Bill Martin, counsel for Markley Group, said the four new diesel tanks would serve backup generators that “kick on in the event of emergency” and that the additional equipment has completed MassDEP review for air emissions. “These are often critical operations that cannot afford to be down at any time,” Martin said, noting Markley’s customers include public‑safety, higher education and hospital clients.

Aaron Fernandez, Markley’s director of design, said the company is open to long‑term discussions with the city about cleaner technologies. “We certainly are open to having those conversations,” Fernandez said, and described alternative fuels now limited by supply chains and technical constraints.

City sustainability director Catherine Moses said emissions from emergency backup generators are regulated by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and — because the engines are for emergency use and routine testing only — would add a small amount to the city’s overall greenhouse‑gas inventory. “If you look at the totality of what is projected to be, for example, CO2 equivalent emissions, it’s a very small part of what our overall emissions picture is in the city,” Moses said, while urging a wider conversation about resilience and longer‑term decarbonization.

Technical and safety details provided at the subcommittee: - Markley said the site currently has seven backup generators; the four at issue would add to that total. The company said some additional generators remain in varied stages of review. - Markley representatives and a consulting engineer described the planned tanks as ‘‘belly tanks’’ with primary and secondary steel containment and interstitial sensors tied to the building management system to alert staff to leaks. - A fire department representative said the storage design conforms with NFPA 30 requirements and that Lieutenant Latour, the hazardous‑materials lieutenant, handles fuel‑storage permitting and inspections. - Markley said generators are tested weekly for about five minutes and have a two‑hour annual test; permits evaluate potential use up to regulatory limits (the company said the MassDEP permit allows up to 100 hours of run time and that historically they have used far less).

Residents urged stricter safeguards. Public commenters described generators and fuel tanks already placed closer to homes than they had expected, questioned site security and said they had observed construction conditions that left emergency access and fencing compromised. One resident who lives about 100 feet from generators asked councilors to require on‑site demonstration of noise and emissions under a full‑load test during a site visit.

Councilor Kim Scott and others pressed for conditions if additional storage is permitted, including a formal emergency response/action plan for the site and a requirement that Markley meet with the sustainability office on a schedule. Councilor Robinson proposed the site visit should include abutting neighbors; councilors moved and the subcommittee approved a site visit that will include abutters and the sustainability director.

There was no formal vote to approve the fuel tanks or generators during this session. Instead the subcommittee set steps for follow‑up: a site visit, a coordinated meeting between Markley and the city sustainability office, and a public hearing at city council where the community will have another opportunity to comment. The subcommittee chair advised residents the public hearing will be scheduled later this month and that the council will place the item on its calendar for a first reading prior to the hearing.

Next steps noted by the subcommittee include scheduling the site visit (to include fire and building officials), the sustainability meeting (Moses to contact Markley counsel), and preparing materials for the public hearing so councilors can consider possible permit conditions.

Residents and councilors said they expect to return with additional technical information — noise and emissions modeling, security and emergency access plans, and a fuller accounting of the number and location of existing and proposed generators — before the council acts on any fuel‑storage permit.