Comment on Ohio EPA weighs allowing data centers to dump wastewater into rivers
spacesatan@leminal.space 1 day agoI don’t know what ‘wastewater’ people were imagining. It’s a datacenter, it’s not like it’s some crazy industrial process with chemical waste. They’re not grinding servers up in a blender and dumping it down the drain.
JustAnotherPodunk@lemmy.world 1 day ago
I think it’s the overall consensus that no normal person wants the data centers in the first place, and we want any justification possible to stop them. It’s not the actua reality that’s the issue. Cool water goes through pipes. Warmer water goes out back into the river. Sure. There’s a whole list of potential issues depending on the execution, but they can be properly and legally mitigated. It’s public sentiment that is the real issue. And I agree with that sentiment.
SlurpingPus@lemmy.world 1 day ago
As someone using a web app right this moment and also making websites at other times, I do want datacenters.
buttmasterflex@piefed.social 1 day ago
I agree with the sentiment as well. The unfortunate part of this is people pointing fingers at Ohio EPA when the agency can only act within their legal authority. Ohio EPA cannot grant or deny a business’s ability to operate up front like that. In this scenario they can only set limits for contaminants and enforce them. If bad actors violate those limits, then they can issue violations, assess fines, and refer cases to the AG for criminal prosecution. In extreme cases they can force a company to stop operating until violations are resolved.