Opposition to data center projects in El Segundo is getting a boost from the city council and the school board.
On Wednesday, Oct. 21, the city council extended its moratorium on data centers until September of next year. The decision is on the heels of a vote by the governing board of the Wiseburn Unified School District in September to oppose data center construction near school sites.
Rebecca Hamburg Cappy, a board member of the district who is running for reelection, said air pollution from data centers is problematic.
“We have an obligation to protect the health and safety of our students, and proposing a large-scale data center in such close proximity to our school facilities threatens that,” Cappy contended.
Opponents at the city council meeting objected to the amount of water and energy data centers consume and said they worry about the effect on their bills. The developer of a proposed five-story data center in El Segundo pulled the application after a contentious planning committee meeting in July. Policymakers across the U.S. have wrestled with ways to ensure the projects cover the cost of any associated infrastructure improvements.
Kathleen Pointer, school board program manager for the nonprofit Local Progress, cited an analysis from the Environmental Health Project, which predicted higher rates of asthma in neighborhoods near a data center.
“Gas-powered data centers emit significant pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, methane, volatile organic compounds, and fine particulate matter. These pollutants increase rates of respiratory diseases and cardiovascular conditions, and they elevate cancer risk,” Pointer outlined.
School boards in Florida, Maryland and Pennsylvania have adopted resolutions opposing data centers. Meanwhile, school officials in Nevada, Missouri and Georgia have expressed support for projects promising to contribute revenue to local coffers.
