Resident raises health and environmental concerns over proposed Yellowbox data center near Oak Meadows

Melissa Connor, a resident of the Oak Meadows Subdivision, told the Mount Carmel City Council on the meeting’s public-comment period that she is concerned about a proposed Yellowbox data center sited less than a mile from her home.

Connor said the facility she reviewed in public filings would be a 40-megawatt data center operating continuously and that facilities of that size use substantial electricity and water and rely on industrial cooling and standby generators. "This type of constant noise ... has potential to cause some health issues in people that do live close by," she said, adding that studies she reviewed showed low-frequency noise from similar facilities carrying up to three miles under some construction conditions.

The concerns Connor raised included continuous noise from cooling systems and generators, air pollution from diesel backup generators (she mentioned fine particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide), and water and energy demand. "I encourage the city to ensure transparency, public reporting, and independent studies on noise, air emissions, water usage, and energy impacts before moving forward," Connor said, asking that the potential effects on health, safety, property values and quality of life be studied and made public.

City officials responding during the meeting said the project is in an early stage. The mayor said Yellowbox is a consulting/developer firm that must first find a customer; if and when that occurs, the company would return with a formal proposal and required environmental studies and public hearings. A city staff member, David, agreed with that description. "If they find a customer ... then they would come back and do a proposal ... when all the environmental studies would be done and things would be open for public," the mayor said.

No council action was taken on the data-center topic at the meeting; council members and staff described the issue as a proposal under early consideration that would trigger future public-notice and review processes if advanced.

The council did not provide a timeline for when Yellowbox might return with a proposal or for any required studies. Connor’s remarks were entered into the public record.

Notes: Connor cited World Health Organization and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency materials when describing health risks from noise and air pollution. City officials described the company as "Yellowbox" and said the company must locate a customer before formal land-use applications or environmental review would begin.