Te
eside ts
i
Lowell,
Massachusetts,
a e
sui g
the
state’s
e vi o me tal
egulato
a d
the
compa y
behi d
a
la ge
data
ce t e
ove
a
expa sio
that
would
b i g
the
facility’s
total
to
27
i dust ial-scale
diesel
backup
ge e ato s
a d
16
cooli g
towe s.
The
lawsuit
challe ges
the
Massachusetts
Depa tme t
of
E vi o me tal
P otectio ‘s
app oval
of
the
expa sio
a d
alleges
that
eside ts
we e
ot
give
a
p ope
oppo tu ity
to
challe ge
the
p oject.
Ma kley
G oup’s
352,000-squa e-foot
data
ce t e
sits
i
a
de sely
populated
eighbou hood,
with
homes
close
to
its
i f ast uctu e.
Reside ts
have
aised
co ce s
about
diesel
emissio s,
i dust ial
oise,
cooli g-towe
mist,
dust
a d
othe
impacts.
The
case
comes
as
commu ities
ac oss
the
US
i c easi gly
questio
the
e vi o me tal
costs
of
expa di g
data-ce t e
i f ast uctu e
to
meet
isi g
dema d
fo
cloud
computi g
a d
a tificial
i tellige ce.
Why
Massachusetts
eside ts
a e
challe gi g
the
data
ce t e
expa sio
The
lawsuit
was
filed
i
Middlesex
Cou ty
Supe io
Cou t
o
Ap il
27,
2026,
by
10
Lowell
eside ts
ep ese ted
by
the
E vi o me tal
Justice
Law
a d
Advocacy
Cli ic
at
Yale
Law
School,
the
Co se vatio
Law
Fou datio
a d
Fitch
Law
Pa t e s.
The
defe da ts
a e
Ma kley
G oup
LLC
a d
the
Massachusetts
Depa tme t
of
E vi o me tal
P otectio ,
o
MassDEP.
The
eside ts
a e
challe gi g
the
state’s
app oval
of
a
ai -quality
pla
co ected
to
Ma kley’s
expa sio
i
Lowell’s
Sac ed
Hea t
a d
Back
Ce t al
eighbou hoods.
Massachusetts
has
desig ated
both
a eas
as
E vi o me tal
Justice
populatio s.
The
oughly
14-ac e
facility
is
su ou ded
by
homes,
a
public
pa k
a d
a
ballfield,
while
a
public
p eschool
is
located
about
a
block
away.
The
cu e t
dispute
ce t es
o
eight
additio al
3,000-kilowatt
diesel
eme ge cy
ge e ato s.
Ma kley
submitted
its
latest
applicatio
to
MassDEP
i
Ap il
2025.
If
i stalled,
the
eight
ge e ato s
would
b i g
the
facility’s
total
to
27
i dust ial-scale
diesel
ge e ato s.
The
expa sio
also
i volves
16
cooli g
towe s.
MassDEP
app oved
the
ai -quality
pla
o
July
3,
2025,
afte
which
eside ts
challe ged
the
decisio
th ough
the
state’s
admi ist ative
appeals
p ocess
befo e
taki g
the
dispute
to
cou t.
Why
a e
eside ts
co ce ed
about
the
data
ce t e
Reside ts
say
they
a e
bei g
asked
to
live
alo gside
a
expa di g
i dust ial
facility
with
diesel
ge e ato s,
cooli g
towe s
a d
othe
la ge-scale
i f ast uctu e
u usually
close
to
thei
homes.
Thei
legal
fili gs
aise
co ce s
about
diesel
emissio s,
i dust ial
oise,
dust,
odou s,
t affic
a d
cooli g-towe
mist
eachi g
ea by
p ope ties.
O e
plai tiff,
Jacob
Fo tes,
has
said
seve al
diesel
ge e ato s
a e
located
behi d
his
home,
with
the
closest
about
84
feet
away.
The
lawsuit
also
poi ts
to
the
facility’s
locatio
withi
eighbou hoods
desig ated
as
E vi o me tal
Justice
populatio s.
Reside ts
a gue
that
addi g
eight
mo e
3,000-kilowatt
diesel
ge e ato s
could
i c ease
the
e vi o me tal
a d
quality-of-life
bu de
o
a
al eady
de sely
populated
commu ity.
Ma kley
says
the
diesel
ge e ato s
a e
eme ge cy
backup
systems
athe
tha
the
facility’s
p ima y
sou ce
of
elect icity.
Compa y
ep ese tatives
told
GBH
that
the
ge e ato s
a e
ge e ally
switched
o
fo
about
five
mi utes
each
week
fo
testi g
a d
othe wise
emai
off
u less
the e
is
a
powe
outage.
The
compa y
has
the efo e
a gued
that
the
ge e ato s
a e
ot
ope ated
co ti uously.
Howeve ,
the
eside ts’
lawsuit
focuses
o
the
pote tial
e vi o me tal
effects
of
havi g
this
i dust ial-scale
backup
i f ast uctu e
ope ati g
close
to
homes,
ega dless
of
how
f eque tly
the
ge e ato s
a e
used.
Reside ts
challe ge
MassDEP’s
app oval
p ocess
The
eside ts’
legal
challe ge
goes
beyo d
co ce s
about
the
ge e ato s
themselves
a d
ta gets
the
state’s
pe mitti g
p ocess.
They
a gue
that
MassDEP
failed
to
p ope ly
co side
E vi o me tal
Justice
equi eme ts,
cumulative
e vi o me tal
impacts
a d
alte atives
to
diesel
backup
powe .
They
also
co te d
that
the
age cy
did
ot
adequately
add ess
the
e vi o me tal
effects
of
the
16
cooli g
towe s
o
equi e
additio al
eview
u de
the
Massachusetts
E vi o me tal
Policy
Act.
The
plai tiffs
a e
aski g
the
cou t
to
sc uti ise
MassDEP’s
app oval
a d
dete mi e
whethe
the
age cy
followed
the
law
whe
allowi g
the
expa sio
to
p oceed.
The
lawsuit
also
alleges
that
the
state’s
eview
did
ot
sufficie tly
accou t
fo
the
p oject’s
locatio
i
a
de sely
populated
commu ity.
Reside ts
a gue
that
the
impact
of
addi g
mo e
i dust ial
equipme t
should
have
bee
assessed
alo gside
the
effects
of
Ma kley’s
existi g
ope atio s
athe
tha
co side ed
i
isolatio .
Dispute
ove
a
co se t
o de
A othe
majo
issue
i volves
a
admi ist ative
co se t
o de
betwee
MassDEP
a d
Ma kley.
Acco di g
to
the
eside ts’
lawsuit,
the
ag eeme t
allowed
Ma kley
to
p oceed
with
ce tai
co st uctio
a d
equipme t
wo k
while
the
eside ts’
admi ist ative
appeal
was
still
pe di g.
Reside ts
say
they
discove ed
the
ag eeme t
afte
otici g
co st uctio
activity
at
the
site.
They
a gue
that
MassDEP
effectively
allowed
the
compa y
to
move
ahead
befo e
thei
challe ge
had
bee
fully
esolved.The
plai tiffs
a e
aski g
the
cou t
to
dete mi e
whethe
MassDEP
exceeded
its
autho ity
th ough
the
ag eeme t
a d
elated
actio s.
The
dispute
has
added
a othe
laye
to
the
eside ts’
b oade
a gume t
that
the
state
did
ot
give
them
a
mea i gful
oppo tu ity
to
challe ge
the
data
ce t e’s
expa sio .
These
claims
a e
allegatio s
made
by
the
plai tiffs
a d
have
ot
bee
fi ally
decided
by
a
cou t.
Lowell
has
also
moved
agai st
ew
data
ce t e
p ojects
The
co t ove sy
has
p ompted
actio
f om
Lowell
officials
beyo d
the
lawsuit.
I
Ma ch
2026,
the
Lowell
City
Cou cil
u a imously
app oved
a
tempo a y
mo ato ium
o
ew
data
ce t e
co st uctio
a d
developme t
i
the
city.
The
measu e
was
i te ded
to
give
officials
time
to
exami e
the
pote tial
e vi o me tal,
i f ast uctu e
a d
zo i g
effects
associated
with
data
ce t es.
The
mo ato ium
does
ot
automatically
ca cel
Ma kley’s
existi g
facility
o
settle
the
cu e t
lawsuit.
I stead,
the
legal
dispute
co ce s
state-level
app ovals
co ected
to
the
expa sio
of
a
existi g
data
ce t e.
The
timi g
eve theless
highlights
the
g owi g
co ce
su ou di g
la ge-scale
computi g
facilities
i
Lowell.
Reside ts
a e
seeki g
to
pause
the
expa sio
The
legal
battle
co ti ued
i
July
2026,
whe
eside ts
a d
thei
lawye s
appea ed
befo e
a
Middlesex
Supe io
Cou t
judge
seeki g
a
p elimi a y
i ju ctio
to
stop
Ma kley
f om
co st ucti g
a d
ope ati g
additio al
ge e ato s
a d
cooli g
towe s
while
the
b oade
case
p oceeds.
Thei
lawye s
a gued
that
the
state
failed
to
p ope ly
assess
the
p oject’s
cumulative
impacts
a d
did
ot
give
eside ts
a
adequate
oppo tu ity
to
challe ge
the
app oval.
The
equest
fo
a
i ju ctio
mea s
eside ts
a e
seeki g
to
p eve t
the
disputed
expa sio
f om
movi g
fo wa d
while
the
cou t
co side s
the
u de lyi g
legal
issues.
As
of
the
latest
available
epo ts,
o
fi al
uli g
had
bee
issued
o
the
lawsuit,
so
the
eside ts’
allegatio s
have
ot
bee
fi ally
adjudicated.
A
sepa ate
lawsuit
focuses
o
oise
The
ai -quality
a d
pe mitti g
case
is
ot
the
o ly
legal
challe ge
faci g
Ma kley.
I
May
2026,
a othe
g oup
of
ea by
eside ts
filed
a
p oposed
class-actio
lawsuit
allegi g
excessive
oise
f om
the
Lowell
data
ce t e.
That
case
is
sepa ate
f om
the
lawsuit
challe gi g
MassDEP’s
ai -quality
app oval.
The
two
lawsuits
eflect
diffe e t
aspects
of
eside ts’
co ce s.
O e
ce t es
o
the
state’s
e vi o me tal
pe mitti g
a d
the
p oposed
expa sio
of
diesel
ge e ato s
a d
cooli g
equipme t,
while
the
othe
focuses
specifically
o
alleged
oise
impacts
f om
the
facility’s
ope atio s.
The
data
ce t e
is
pa t
of
a
la ge
AI
i f ast uctu e
boom
The
dispute
is
u foldi g
as
dema d
fo
data-ce t e
capacity
g ows
apidly
ac oss
the
US,
d ive
pa tly
by
a tificial
i tellige ce.
Data
ce t es
equi e
substa tial
amou ts
of
elect icity
to
ope ate
se ve s
a d
cooli g
systems,
while
backup
ge e ato s
a e
used
to
keep
c itical
equipme t
u i g
du i g
powe
i te uptio s.
Fo
commu ities
located
close
to
these
facilities,
howeve ,
the
expa sio
ca
mea
livi g
alo gside
i c easi gly
la ge
i dust ial
i f ast uctu e.
The
Lowell
case
illust ates
the
te sio
betwee
g owi g
dema d
fo
computi g
capacity
a d
eside ts’
co ce s
about
pollutio ,
oise,
la d
use
a d
e vi o me tal
impacts.The
ce t al
legal
questio
is
whethe
Ma kley’s
expa sio
ca
p oceed
u de
the
app ovals
g a ted
by
MassDEP
o
whethe
pa ts
of
the
pe mitti g
p ocess
must
be
eco side ed.
Reside ts
wa t
the
cou t
to
sc uti ise
the
ai -quality
app oval
a d
the
co se t
o de ,
while
Ma kley
mai tai s
that
its
diesel
ge e ato s
a e
backup
systems
with
limited
outi e
use.
The
lawsuit
emai s
o goi g,
a d
the e
has
bee
o
fi al
judicial
dete mi atio
that
Ma kley’s
ope atio s
violate
e vi o me tal
laws.
Fo
eside ts,
howeve ,
the
dispute
is
about
mo e
tha
eight
additio al
ge e ato s.
It
aises
b oade
questio s
about
whethe
la ge
data
ce t es
should
be
allowed
to
expa d
thei
i dust ial
footp i t
so
close
to
homes
a d
how
egulato s
should
assess
thei
e vi o me tal
impact
o
de sely
populated
a d
E vi o me tal
Justice
commu ities.