Public speakers press commission on data-center oversight, institutional risk and environmental safeguards

Two delegates at the June 18 meeting raised similar concerns about data-center siting, oversight and institutional risk.

Zakia Mayberry asked whether an institutional risk assessment had been completed for the Eisenhower data center project and whether Richmond County maintains a formal framework for assessing institutional risk before approving large development projects. She said she received no immediate answers from commissioners and requested that staff or the authority provide documented responses.

Tonya Bonitatibus, Healthy Community Coordinator for Savannah Riverkeeper, urged local rules that would require sites to retain the first 1.8 inches of rainfall, avoid evaporative cooling systems, plan for the community impacts of on-site standby power (significant diesel storage and generator operations), and minimize heat-island effects by using light-colored roofs, permeable surfaces, vegetative buffers and wetlands preservation. She also warned that high-tier data centers can be prioritized for energy restoration during outages and that local officials should consider the downstream environmental and noise/light impacts of large data-center campuses.

Commissioners acknowledged receipt of the concerns; one commissioner said staff are working on a new ordinance and welcomed Riverkeeper's input. No formal policy changes were adopted at the meeting; speakers requested written follow-up and documentation of any institutional risk assessments performed for past projects.