News

Rocky Mount City Council Meeting May 11, 7 p.m.
Talking Points for Industrial Rezoning

Urge the City Council to provide transparency
Rocky Mount is requesting to rezone 171 acres of city-owned land to Heavy Industrial without disclosing what they plan to use this land for. If City Council has been having conversations with a data center developer, that information should be shared to allow for informed public input before major land use changes occur. 

The rezoning request language points to a Data Center
The language (that can be found in April 14th’s Planning Board Agenda) in the conditions for the rezoning request clearly point to a planned data center. Some of this language is listed below:

Noise
“Sound levels should not exceed sixty (60) dBA…”

Water Efficiency and Resource Protection
“The development should minimize potable water use through air-cooled, closed-loop, or other non-water-intensive cooling systems…”
Water-intensive cooling systems shall only be permitted upon demonstration that no feasible alternative exists…”
On-Site Power Generation and Emissions
“..natural gas, renewable energy, battery storage, or other lower-emission technologies approved… Diesel-fueled generators are prohibited.”
Load Management
“The development shall implement load management strategies to reduce impacts to the electrical grid…”
“…reduce reliance on peak-period generation.”

While there are some beneficial conditions set in the rezoning language, these conditions are not nearly enough to protect communities from the impacts of data centers. 


Water Concerns from a Data Center

Hyperscale data centers use millions of gallons of clean freshwater per day to keep their equipment cool. This water, in most cases, is sourced from water treatment facilities that withdraw water from our Rivers. 

Water used by data centers is not returned in the same condition it was originally taken in. Water used for cooling must be treated to remove contaminants introduced in the cooling process. Water discharged to the water treatment systems and ultimately discharged to our Rivers is often returned more polluted with harmful contaminants.

Wastewater discharged from data centers may contain biocides, corrosion inhibitors, and heavy metals (such as zinc, copper, or lead). Although understudied, forever chemicals (PFAS) may also be a pollutant of concern. These contaminants can negatively impact our water treatment systems, increase costs of treatment, and negatively impact our surface waters upon discharge.

Rocky Mount’s waterways are already stressed. This region is currently experiencing severe drought, as cited by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). Adding additional high volume water users in a time of severe drought puts additional stress on the Tar River ecosystem, risking water scarcity issues long-term. 

Impacts from development runoff and stormwater pollution cause sediment, bacteria and chemicals to enter waterways. 

To accommodate the needs of a data center, localities often have to make costly upgrades and improvements to their water infrastructure. 

The high energy and water needs of a data center often cause utility rates to increase for community members. 


How to Write a Strong Public Comment:
Be clear and direct: Start off naming the purpose of your comment. What is the issue you are speaking about? Don’t bury the lead, but get to it right away and repeat it! 
Lean on the evidence: Our comments are strongest when the evidence we present is science-backed and verifiable. This guide includes a lot of peer-reviewed science to support your claims. 
Bring in your experience: The best comments don’t just repeat talking points, but bring in personal experiences to explain why they matter. Think about why this matters to you. Do you or your loved ones have direct experience with the issues you’re discussing? Personalize your comments by bringing in the reasons why you specifically care.
State your demand at the start and end: Make sure to communicate a clear and concrete ask (adopt a moratorium on data centers in Durham!) — when you open and close your comment.

Tips for Delivering Powerful Oral Comments:
Write your comments beforehand — you don’t have to stick to every word on the script, but plan out what you are going to say.
Have a paper copy with you on the night of the hearing.
Speak slowly (slower than you think), clearly (enunciate), and calmly.
Make your most important point first — get straight to the point after your introduction and expand from there as time allows.
Stick to the allotted time limit — you will be cut off if you go over!
Assume 2 minutes since we are expecting many speakers.