companies<\/a> tied to the developer want to build four data centers and three power plants on Bell Mountain above Business Route 6 in Dickson City.\n<\/p>\nContentions surrounding the power plant underscore two central debates around data centers and related developments: their proximity to sensitive uses like parks, homes and schools, and the amount of detail and information that a developer is required to provide during conditional use proceedings.<\/p>\n
Residents and an attorney representing Stop Archbald Data Centers members have pushed back against the power plant because it is next to Archbald\u2019s Staback Park, across Eynon Jermyn Road from the Highlands Archbald housing development, and about half a mile from the Valley View Intermediate School. They often emphasize language in Archbald\u2019s zoning intended to protect the health, safety and welfare of residents, advocating for details and guarantees to ensure those protections if the project were approved.<\/p>\n
Last month, attorney Justin Richards of Elliott Greenleaf PC in Wilkes-Barre, who represents Archbald residents opposing data centers, read from Archbald\u2019s zoning ordinance, noting that it states an \u201capplicant shall establish by credible evidence that the application complies with all applicable requirements.\u201d The ordinance requires that the proposed use won\u2019t substantially negatively change the character of the surrounding residential neighborhood. It also mandates that projects \u201cshall not create a significant hazard to the public health and safety such as fire, toxic or explosive hazards,\u201d Richards said.<\/p>\n
Representatives for the developer have contended throughout the proceedings that the site is suitable for a power plant, and that the state and federal permitting would provide those protections.<\/p>\n
Data center opponents and council members alike have frequently pressed the developer for additional information throughout the proceedings, like the specific equipment the power plant would use.<\/p>\n
However, Essential Energy\u2019s witnesses often note that they don\u2019t know the exact equipment or details of the project \u2014 those will come at a later stage after the power plant receives conditional approval.<\/p>\n
In May, engineer Nicole Wilson of engineering firm Earthres testified about the project\u2019s air emissions.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, this would be considered a new, state-of-the-art plant, but again, we don\u2019t know what specific equipment will go into this particular plant,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
During that same hearing, a traffic study for the power plant looked at post-construction traffic for up to a dozen employees working on the site but did not cover the traffic impacts on the community and nearby Valley View School District during the construction of the power plant \u2014 an issue council members scrutinized during their questioning.<\/p>\n
At a sound study presentation in June, when asked why the study excluded information on sound contours, engineer James D. Barnes of Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Acentech replied, \u201cHow much detail does one really need at this stage of the project?\u201d<\/p>\n
When Barnes said noise is subjective, council Vice President Joseph Altier III asked who would enjoy the sound of a natural gas power plant at night.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can imagine somebody,\u201d Barnes said. \u201cNot to be flip or anything, but the plant operator.\u201d<\/p>\n
Project details have also shifted across hearings. For example, in April, when asked why initial plans submitted to Archbald showed four 66,000-square-foot turbine pads, but an updated site plan displayed during the presentation showed two, subject matter witness Jennifer Leonard, a senior program manager at KCI Technologies in Mechanicsburg, said, \u201cIt appears I was able to more efficiently design the site.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
At the latest hearing last month, civil engineer W. Casey Deller, a vice president at KCI Technologies, deferred questions on topics including how much electricity the power plant would generate; expected emissions; what equipment it would use, including the specific number of turbines; its natural gas source; how a natural gas pipeline would connect to the site; impacts on a nearby residential development during rock blasting; and the power plant\u2019s water source and water consumption.\n<\/p>\n
At every prior hearing, Essential Energy was referred to by its witnesses and represenatives as a 400-megawatt power plant, but in July, Deller pointed out, \u201cWe believe that the site will be suitable to produce power to somewhere in that range.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt could be less,\u201d he said. \u201cIt could be more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Deller defended that the permitting process, not the zoning process, would determine specific details.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe permitting tract and everything that we\u2019re required to do from a design standpoint requires us to show compliance or exceedance of standards across the board, whether that\u2019s air or stormwater or environmental,\u201d he said. \u201cIf we don\u2019t show those standards during the permitting process, we don\u2019t get our permit. We don\u2019t build this facility.\u201d<\/p>\n
When Tuesday\u2019s hearing resumes, Deller will face cross-examination from Archbald\u2019s special counsel, attorney Brett C. Flower, and resident Meg Nudelman.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A controversial natural gas power plant will once again take center stage Tuesday at Valley View High School…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":265649,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[2117,2116,201,182,139,28,178,180,179,181],"class_list":["post-265648","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-scranton","tag-archbald","tag-data-centers","tag-lackawanna-county","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-pennsylvania","tag-scranton","tag-scranton-headlines","tag-scranton-news","tag-top-stories-stt"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265648","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=265648"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265648\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/265649"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=265648"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=265648"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=265648"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}