ROCKINGHAM — Health concerns dominated the comments in opposition to a pair of permits related to the Amazon data center complex currently under construction at the Energy Way Tech Campus south of Hamlet.
The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality hosted a public hearing July 30 at the old Richmond County courthouse, with several Richmond County residents and some from outside the community asking the state agency to deny the applications.
Amazon and Duke Energy each submitted applications to DAQ-DEQ for permits for the operation of diesel engines.
Duke’s permit, if approved, would allow the installation and operation of 54 temporary non-emergency engines, three 300-killowatt generators and a total of nine fuel oil storage tanks on the Amazon site “to provide an interim power solution for AWS to begin initial commissioning activities while a transmission line was constructed.”
Amazon’s permit would allow 588 generators — 28 per building once all 21 are built and operational — as well as four ancillary diesel/renewable diesel-fired emergency generators, diesel/renewable diesel fuel belly tanks associated with each generator, and 21 diesel/renewable diesel bulk storage tanks, according to the application.
(NOTE: When the Amazon project was first announced, the company said there would be 20 buildings. However, the air quality permit application noted that there would be 21.)
According to an Amazon blog post, the backup generators “run very infrequently — on average 10 hours per year — mostly for brief biweekly tests to ensure they are ready and reliable when needed during rare emergencies. All testing must meet local noise and permit requirements.”
Amazon also says that its generators meet all requirements by DEQ and the federal Environmental Protection Agency and that its generators use Tier 4 compliant emission control systems “that significantly reduce emissions below required levels to protect public health.”
"We're committed to building responsibly and being a good neighbor in Richmond County,” an Amazon spokesperson said in an email. “We requested this public hearing because we want community members to have a voice in this process and to hear directly from regulators about how air quality is protected.
“We've been working closely with the North Carolina Division of Air Quality to ensure we meet or exceed all applicable environmental and public health standards, and we welcome the opportunity for public input.”
That input came in the form of opposition, both during the hearing and at a protest held beforehand.
William Ingram speaks about the pollution issues in the county prior to a public hearing for air quality permits related to the Amazon data center complex.
William R. Toler - Richmond Observer
“This is not new … we’ve been dealing with this for a long time,” said William Ingram, co-founder of the Richmond County Coalition for Justice and Black Empowerment.
Ingram mentioned how the late Debra David, who passed away in 2024, had been an advocate for years over similar environmental issues, adding that “she lost her life … to the results of what she’s been suffering for and fighting for in our community.”
Several speakers took issue with the splitting of the permits.
“To avoid legal requirements that would be more protective of the environment and human health and inform the community on what is happening here, Amazon has decided to share its emissions with Duke Energy,” said Jasmine Washington, an attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center.
“This will impact human health in a community that is already facing numerous health disparities," Washington continued. “This is an area that has a disproportionately high amount of people with disabilities, there is a high population of children under the age of 5, there’s a high population of elderly people here — and those are the exact people who are most deeply and expressly impacted by pollution that comes from diesel-powered generators.”
There were also a few comments regarding the lack of transparency by the Richmond County Board of Commissioners and county government in bringing Amazon to the area.
The first public mention of the project was when the board approved an incentive agreement for "Blue Marlin" on June 3, 2025 — two days before local and state officials revealed that it was Amazon.
“We have to say no to these NDAs (non-disclosure agreements), no to the closed-door meetings,” Ingram said. “We need to hold these county officials and these county commissioners accountable. They see us every day … and they pretend that everything in the county is good.”
There were only two commissioners — Andy Grooms and Jamie Gathings — in attendance at Thursday’s hearing, and both spoke with concerned residents afterwards.
“I hear the citizens loud and clear,” Grooms told the RO on Friday. “I will be checking into the concerns that were raised to see what kind of safeguards can be put in place. And moving forward with any major project in the future I know what is expected.”
Gathings said he came to hear from the citizens.
“I voted for Amazon …but I thought I was doing the right thing for the county,” said Gathings, who was under suspension during the talks. “I hope we made the right choice. I would like to see what happens with Amazon before we make any decisions about putting in any more (data centers).”
The RO plans to have more from the public hearing in a later story.
NOTE: This story has been updated to correct a typo in a date. 10:55 a.m. 8-1-26.
