Spartanburg County data center could emit harmful air pollution without enforceable limits

Environmental groups voice health and community concerns

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Today, the Southern Environmental Law Center, on behalf of Sierra Club Upstate, sent a letter to the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services raising concerns about a permit for a new data center in Spartanburg County. Under the permit, air emissions from the Valara Holdings High Performance Compute Center would not have enforceable pollution limits, making it possible for the facility to violate permit limits without accountability. 

“Due to decades of nearby manufacturing activity, the community surrounding the future Valara data center has been overburdened with environmental and health impacts,” said Emily Wyche, SELC Senior Attorney. “Under the draft permit, those impacts would only increase as citizens would be deprived of the transparency, accountability, and clean air they deserve.” 

In its letter, SELC urged the Department of Environmental Services to revise the permit to include enforceable limits as required by the Clean Air Act. The facility’s air pollution would make it one of Spartanburg County’s largest emitters of particularly dangerous air pollutants. 

The Valara facility would emit air pollutants, some harmful to humans at any level, including formaldehyde, nitrogen oxide, and fine particulate matter. Exposure to these pollutants can lead to serious health problems like respiratory issues, reduced lung function, chronic bronchitis, diabetes, cancer, heart attacks, and premature death.