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Residents raise health and air-quality concerns about proposed data centers at Apex public forum
Summary
Multiple residents at the Feb. 24 public forum urged the council to consider air-quality, noise and water impacts from proposed hyperscale data centers and backup generators; commenters cited studies on PM2.5 and recommended fuller public information and local analysis.
At the Apex Town Council meeting on Feb. 24, several residents used the public forum to press the town on potential health, air-quality and resource impacts from planned hyperscale data centers.
Dr. Michelle Hoffner O'Connor described a scenario in which a pregnant woman, fearing extended power outages during an ice storm, considered using an indoor propane space heater and was told by her OB that such a device could be lethal to an unborn child because fetal hemoglobin binds carbon monoxide more readily. She used the anecdote to argue that backup generators and other emissions sources near homes "will likely experience irreparable harms" and urged the town to prevent such facilities from locating close to residences.
Resident Sara Varunacharam, who described professional work in environmental analysis, warned that on-site backup generators for large data centers can emit high levels of nitrogen oxides and fine particulates (PM2.5) during testing or outages. She told the council that diesel-fired emergency engines can emit dramatically more NOx per unit of electricity than central natural-gas plants and cited modeling and public-health studies linking permitted data-center generator emissions to increased asthma and premature deaths in other jurisdictions.
Other commenters asked for centralized information and transparency about data-center proposals including water-use estimates, local infrastructure impacts, and cumulative air-quality effects. "We want numbers, not just promises," said a resident who asked why the town did not provide a public portal aggregating project materials and public comments.
Councilmembers did not take formal action on data centers at the meeting; multiple speakers said they would return with more detailed reports and analyses. Several residents said they planned to follow up with the Environmental Advisory Board and staff to request that advisory boards and planning staff provide clearer analyses and public outreach on these topics.
Provenance: Public forum remarks and technical audience testimony during the meeting's public-comment sections.
