Commissioner Bill Gaughan said Lackawanna County needs to study the health impacts of proposed data centers and power plants within its borders.
"I think we owe that to the people of Lackawanna County,” he said.
Gaughan is asking for the county to spend $165,000 to hire Michael Cork, Ph.D., to conduct an independent countywide scientific analysis of the cumulative air quality and public health impacts of industry. He said the public deserves an open vote from commissioners on whether or not the county should hire Cork's firm.
Cork is a post-doctoral research fellow at Harvard University and CEO of Empower Analytics Group. He recently completed a study for the Stop Archbald Data Centers group.
Lackawanna County — especially Archbald — has been the focus of numerous data center proposals. There are 15 campuses proposed for the county, most with multiple data centers, as well as three power plants in Dickson City and one in Archbald to power the industry.
“I think it’s important for the commissioners and for the county as a whole to be the leaders in terms of public health,” Gaughan said.
Beyond Lackawanna, there are data center campus proposals in Clinton Twp., the Poconos, Luzerne County and in Northcentral Pa.
Gaughan believes the study will have implications beyond Lackawanna County. He hopes to show the results of the study to Gov. Josh Shapiro and other state and federal elected officials.
“And ask them why anyone would want to allow this to happen to the people that they represent. Why would we willingly want to put ourselves and put our people in danger, put their health in danger, and just sit back and not do anything about it?” he said.
Lackawanna County Commissioner Thom Welby agrees that it would be "great information" not only for the county but for the state.
But Welby also wants the municipalities and state to help pay.
Lackawanna County Commissioner Chris Chermak did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Scope of study
Cork’s study for the Stop Archbald Data Centers group found that the 588 diesel-fuel backup generators planned for the 15 data center buildings at the Wildcat Ridge Data Center Campus in Archbald could cause between $3 and $124 million in health damages annually.
He found pollutants from the generators fumes could lead to death, nonfatal health attacks, hospital admissions and emergency room visits, issues with asthma and lung cancer.
Cork’s proposal to study the impacts in all of Lackawanna County says it will build on the Wildcat analysis. Cork estimates it will take between 650 and 830 hours over 3 to 4 months to complete.
According to the proposal, the study will:
- Compile an inventory of proposed data centers and power plants in Lackawanna County.
- Estimate the air pollution from each facility.
- Model how the pollution could spread across the region.
- Show the health impacts of that pollution.
- Identify who could be most impacted.
Gaughan, who pointed out that Lackawanna County is already home to two landfills and a large power plant in Jessup, called the data centers a “noose around our county.”
"I think we're done taking everybody else's trash and then just being a stomping ground for these big billionaire developers to come in and just plop these things next to neighborhoods," Gaughan said. "It's not fair. It's not fair to the people.”
He said the data centers and power plants will threaten the livelihoods of the people who already live in the county and future generations.
"We have a lot to offer. We have a really bright future, but we need affordable housing. We need places for people to actually live. You know, you can't live in a data center. You can't live in a landfill. You can't live in a power plant," he said. "We need to be focusing on actually helping people, not hurting them. And no one has been able to explain to me how this benefits the people who live in the county.”
Cost concerns
Gaughan said he emailed the study proposal and its cost to Welby and Chermak on July 20. He wants to vote on funding the study during Wednesday’s commissioners meeting, but he acknowledged that it’s unlikely to be on agenda.
"I've got the proposal, and we need to move, and we need to move quickly," he said.
Welby is concerned about the cost.
“I don’t want to see another tax increase because we’re not responsible with funding,” he said.
In addition to seeking municipal or state funding assistance, Welby wants to explore if Cork’s original study for the Stop Archbald Data Centers group could be replicated locally at no cost.
Gaughan said one of the first questions he asked county CFO Dave Bulzoni was if the county could afford Cork’s study.
Gaughan said $100,000 was budgeted for capital asset profiling but won’t be needed until next year.
Capital asset profiling is an inventory of all the county’s equipment, like what is used to repair roads and bridges.
He said the other $65,000 would come from funding that hasn't been obligated yet.
Gaughan believes Cork is offering the county a deal for his work.
"There's no time to fiddle around and think about it. We just have to do it. Government gets caught up in the bureaucracy of things and the red tape," he said. "This is an instance where we can step up and actually be leaders and set the stage and help the people who live in this county, and that's really what I want to do."
