In an earlier post “Why the Virginia Data Center Study Does Not Apply to the Perry Technology Park” dated May 20, 2026 on the www.PerryTechnologyPark.com website, we shared information about a study circulating among Perry community members that claimed a data center’s air emissions posed significant public health risks. We want to share another key fact about that study – it was so misleading that on 4/27/26, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VDEQ), the state agency responsible for protecting the environment (by administering laws and regulations related to air quality, water quality and land protection) issued a formal response to it.
It is rare for a governmental environmental agency to publicly correct a third-party report, and the fact that VDEQ did so is itself an indication of how far the study’s conclusions departed from accepted scientific and regulatory standards.
There is also a key distinction that context requires: the data center facility in Virginia uses natural gas combustion turbines as its primary power source, a configuration that produces meaningful air emissions. The Perry Technology Park will be powered by the FirstEnergy electrical grid. Our backup diesel generators are a safety net that operate only during rare grid outages and brief monthly testing, subject to strict Village-imposed and Ohio EPA limits. The emissions profile of the Perry project is therefore materially less than even the corrected, actual-emission picture that VDEQ describes for the other project in Virginia.
Please do not allow a misleading study to color the Village’s judgement about what has been proposed for the Perry Technology Park.
A summary of the VDEQ’s key findings is provided below. We are sharing it because the same study, or claims derived from it, has been cited in Perry community discussions about the Perry Technology Park. Using a flawed “study” to malign the Perry Technology Park is misleading and the VDEQ’s analysis explains why.
VDEQ reviewed the report and issued a formal technical response identifying multiple fundamental flaws in its methodology and conclusions:
- The Study Significantly Overstated Emissions by Using Permit Limits Instead of Actual Emissions
VDEQ noted that actual emissions are well below permitted limits which is typical for data centers, which build in large redundant generating capacity that does not all operate simultaneously. - The Study Used Outdated Air Quality Data and “Mischaracterized” Existing Conditions
Using flawed data and mischaracterizing existing conditions led to inaccurate results. - The Study Used Non-EPA-Approved Modeling Tools
VDEQ concluded that the study’s health impact estimates were significantly overstated. - Community Health Data Does Not Support the Study’s Conclusions
There is no evidence in the public health record that the facility’s operation has adversely affected community health.
Please don’t rely on a study for a different data center project in an entirely different state that did not even assess how that proposed project would operate causing the regulatory agency to step in to address the problems with the study.