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Regulators outline authority and limits: MDEQ focuses on water/air permits; PSC on rates and prudence
Summary
MDEQ and PSC officials told the task force where state oversight applies — MDEQ enforces air and water permits (including groundwater withdrawal rules and a 20,000-gallon/day limit reference for once-through cooling), while the PSC handles rate oversight and some infrastructure approvals under existing statutes.
Chris Wells, executive director of the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, told the task force that MDEQ's mission is to "safeguard the health, safety, and welfare of present and future generations of Mississippians" and that the agency regulates groundwater and air emissions related to power generation associated with data centers. Wells pointed to regulations that require industrial applicants to consider alternatives to groundwater (surface water, treated effluent) and cited a 20,000-gallon-per-day limit for once-through noncontact cooling as inconsistent with large data-center water needs.
Commissioners emphasized jurisdictional limits: Commissioner Dekitha Stamps said the PSC must balance protecting ratepayers and promoting economic development and described PSC tools such as investigative staff and formula-rate interventions; Commissioner Wayne Carr raised grid and heat-island concerns and urged cross-jurisdictional cooperation. Officials agreed that some questions (noise, zoning, traffic) remain local and that permitting often occurs after developers secure local approvals, complicating early regulatory review.
