On May 12, MWA stood in solidarity with Concerned Residents of Western Pennsylvania (CROW) and community members from Indiana County at a PA DEP public hearing on the proposed Homer City Data Center. The hearing was on a permit for a 5.8-mile pipeline tied to the proposed Homer City AI data center project. The pipeline would supply gas to a proposed 4.5 gigawatt gas-fired power plant at the site of the former Homer City coal plant.
The project is part of a larger push to build AI data centers across the country, many of which would rely on new gas-fired power plants fueled by fracked gas.Â
Over 40 people rallied on the street in downtown Indiana, PA before the hearing. Folks waved and beeped from passing cars in support.
At the hearing, over 100 people packed into the Indiana Theater to speak and listen to their neighbors’ concerns. Commenters were longtime locals, parents, farmers, teachers, children of miners, and environmental activists.
Residents expressed worry that construction could send more sediment into already-stressed waterways, including Muddy Run, Blacklick Creek, nearby streams, and wetlands. Residents and advocates are also raising concerns about the project’s lack of transparency and the use of public money for private infrastructure. (Homer City Redevelopment, LLC received a $5 million grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to design and construct the pipeline.)
Others were concerned about the impacts the data center could have on their peaceful, rural community. Farmers from Indiana County also spoke about the data center’s potential impact on essential water supplies, which have already become scarce due to more frequent summer droughts. (Homer City Generation’s application does not detail the specific amount of water the power plant is expected to use.)
“Our community showed up to say no to more destructive extraction that takes resources from our community to build wealth for other people,” said a representative from Concerned Residents of Western PA (CROW). “We do not want to see this pipeline built for a fracked gas power plant and AI data center – all the parts of this project will put our water, air, land, and health at risk. Indiana County deserves better than continuing this legacy of harm.”
Mountain Watershed Association also prepared and gave a comment at the hearing – read it below:
First, I will state that our organization believes it is irresponsible to invest taxpayer dollars into infrastructure and permitting for data center development for Artificial Intelligence, especially when residents are experiencing an unprecedented affordability crisis. This pipeline project alone has received $5 million in taxpayer money.
That said, I will focus my comment on tangible actions that I believe DEP must take to protect local communities and watersheds from Homer City Redevelopment’s proposed pipeline project.
To construct this pipeline, the applicant has proposed using Horizontal Directional Drilling (or HDD), which is a trenchless pipeline installation method often required when a pipeline passes through sensitive areas, such as streams like Blacklick Creek.
In our region, HDD for pipeline construction has historically resulted in “inadvertent returns” where drilling fluid escapes from the borehole into the surrounding environment, which can pollute nearby streams and drinking water wells. When drilling fluid enters nearby waterways, it can significantly impact macroinvertebrate populations by increasing sedimentation, which in turn impacts fish populations. When drilling fluid enters a nearby drinking water well, it can cause cloudy, undrinkable water that often requires costly treatment.
For instance, the construction of the Mariner East pipeline in northern Westmoreland County in 2017 resulted in 17 spills of an estimated 202,000 gallons of drilling fluid into various streams. Local private water supplies were also impacted.
As a result of advocacy efforts by organizations such as Mountain Watershed Association, DEP has established extensive technical guidance for HDD used for pipeline development in the Commonwealth. First, DEP should require that Homer City Redevelopment strictly adhere to this Technical Guidance if the Homer City Pipeline is permitted.
Second, DEP should require the applicant to conduct baseline water testing for all private drinking water supplies located within 2,000 feet of proposed HDD locations for pipeline construction. In addition, DEP should require that the applicant notify all residents within 2,000 feet when HDD is anticipated and provide all residents with temporary water sources on the days when HDD will occur. This is because one of the best ways to prevent impacts to private water supplies is by not using them while HDD is occurring, since well pumps can pull and misdirect drilling fluid into nearby wells.
These measures are paramount for protecting nearby residents and watersheds.
Learn more and engage at Concerned Residents of Western Pennsylvania’s website.