As data centers boom, Virginians breathe the exhaust of 10,000 diesel generators

The Needle: Data Centers Pollute Virginia, Trump Uses NPS Fees to Pay for His Projects, Artists Drop Out of Freedom 250, Dem Announces Bill to Block the Arch, Americans Are Hungry, and Baby Animals Are Free Therapy

Waiting to inhale: As AI data centers spread across Virginia, which is home to 25 percent of the country’s facilities, residents are breathing the exhaust of 10,500 diesel generators that produce enough pollution to worsen lung and cardiovascular conditions for people in the region and cause at least three premature deaths each year. Polls show 70 percent of Americans and 59 percent of Virginians oppose data centers being built in their communit…

See where diesel-powered data center generators are polluting Virginia

Pollution from Virginia's many data centers could cause respiratory symptoms and deaths in the region, according to an analysis of state permits and corporate disclosures.

Data Centers in Virginia Are Booming—and Using 10,000 Diesel Generators - Energy News Beat

Virginia’s Northern Virginia region, often called “Data Center Alley,” is the epicenter of the world’s largest concentration of data centers. These massive facilities power everything from cloud computing to AI training, routing up to 70% of global internet traffic. But the boom comes with trade-offs that are increasingly visible to nearby residents: thousands of diesel backup generators that kick on during tests, outages, or grid strain, releas…

As data centers boom, Virginians breathe the exhaust of 10,000 diesel generators

Pollution from Virginia's many data centers could cause respiratory symptoms and deaths in the region, analysis of state permits and corporate disclosures shows.