Documents reveal Texas Amazon data center could become America’s top polluter
Amazon’s push to build one of its biggest data center campuses in Texas could come with a worrying cost to the environmental.
This comes after documents revealed that the center in question could end up becoming the nation’s top polluter.
The e-commerce giant is developing the huge data center in Pecos County, where it plans to install a natural gas power plant that is capable of supplying electricity directly to the site.
As reported by The New York Times, the proposed site could be authorized to release a whopping 33 million tons of carbon dioxide each year.
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Amazon itself has confirmed that it is investing in the on-site generation, describing it as a way to provide the new campus with power without adding pressure to electricity bills for Texas households.
A spokesperson for the company noted to The New York Times that ‘the world looks different now than when we co-founded the climate pledge’ but that the firm’s ‘commitment’ hasn’t changed.
The Climate Pledge was co-founded by Amazon and Global Optimism in 2019, with it promising to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040.
However, with these new plans to bring in a massive data center, it looks like this goal might be slipping further away.
Amazon’s proposed data center facility raises climate concerns
The site acquired by the company will be used to build a gas-burning plant that will power Amazon’s planned data center, according to the permits filed for the project.
According to the Times, this could end up being the country’s biggest pollutor, as it is set to double the emissions from the James H. Miller Jr. Power Plant, which is a coal facility that emits about 16 million tons of carbon dioxide a year.
This isn’t the only climate issue that has gotten Jeff Bezos into hot water in recent weeks as the billionaire also faced backlash for another project announcement.
Along with actor Leonardo DiCaprio, Bezos announced the new Phoenix Species Project, which will target long-term recovery and habitat restoration for 100 of the world's most critically endangered plants and animals across 30 countries.
While this might sound good, Bezos has been accused of greenwashing, which is where someone puts an eco-friendly gloss on their image while the bigger environmental impact might tell a very different story.
The project is largest endorsed by Bezos and DiCaprio, as well as investments from Bezos’ wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos.