Amazon hits major roadblock in construction of new facility: 'Instructed to cease'

Amazon has hit another speed bump in its plans for data center expansion, this time from an environmental agency in Indiana.

What's happening?

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management has halted work on a new data center near New Carlisle, according to WSBT. It sent a letter to the retail giant and Walbridge Construction, the company contracted by Amazon for the construction, citing an impact on local wetlands last summer as the reason for the stoppage.

IDEM said in a statement to the outlet that Amazon was cited and "the company was instructed to cease all construction activities in waters of the state until they obtain the necessary authorization."

The statement continued, saying Amazon withdrew its initial application, which had been incomplete from its initial submission, and "IDEM and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are working with the company to address the violation, and we expect an application resubmittal later this year. The resubmittal for Section 401 Water Quality Certification application must account for the unauthorized activity and provide additional mitigation for the noted impacts."

Why are data centers important?

New data centers are being built around the world, often quickly and without a full accounting of their impact on local residents and the environment.

Multiple reports over the past few months have shown that energy demand from data centers has been spiking electricity costs for those living nearby, with a nationwide average of 6.5%, according to one report. 

The new construction can also result in environmental damage, as seen with a Google data center in Oklahoma, which is being sued over construction runoff polluting a nearby pond. In IDEM's report, per WSBT, it said the unauthorized impact from Amazon's center violated two Indiana state codes: "Prohibiting discharge, emission or allowance of contaminants or waste causing pollution and prohibits the disposal of inorganic or organic matter into Indiana's waters."

What's being done about data centers?

Amazon has taken steps to mitigate its environmental impact in the construction of some of its data centers, such as one in Georgia, which uses recycled water to cool its components. 

However, it's unclear if that's standard practice across the board for all its data centers as they're being constructed, a worrisome thought when you consider Amazon has an $87 billion expansion plan for them. 

More and more communities are pushing back on data centers, too, from the U.S. to the United Kingdom, thanks to the efforts of government agencies and ordinary citizens.

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