The Nautilus June 2014 A Newspaper Written and Published by the 5 th & 6 th Graders of NCCL School DARE TO BE REWIRED: FIRST...IN How Social Media POLLUTION? Is Changing Us Minjie Paark Brynna Bartoo ~ Staff Reporter ~ Staff Reporter The scene you pass on your way to Facebook. Twitter. Instagram. Email. work – a power plant. The sound that you wake All of these names ring a bell. You’re on at up to – a low hum droning in the background. least one of these sites. You know them, you The weather – cloudy with a chance of like them, and they’re normal. You are perfectly contaminated vapor. Could this happen to fine with the way social media is slithering its Newark? The answer is yes. way into your life. On the University of Delaware’s STAR What you probably don’t know is that Campus, where the Chrysler plant once stood, these sites are not only consuming precious another polluting complex could be built. TDC’s time, but our minds. Yes, slowly but surely our (The Data Centers, LLC) planned data center beloved social media sites are changing the way and 279-megawatt gas-fired power plant would we think and act. Children in particular are in help Newark with jobs and tax revenue, but danger of becoming social media addicts, would be detrimental to our surroundings. because they have grown up with this What choice will Newark make? A money-maker technology. But everyone is susceptible. or a crumbling pillar of our environment? Scientists are not sure if this is all bad for our TDC claims that there will be many ever-changing brains. However, it is clear that benefits to the project. They say that the State technology is changing how we are thinking. of Delaware will get $20 million in taxes during One of the ways this is more apparent construction and another $4.5 million annually is how we process information. In the past, from TDC’s operations. Newark will get $4.7 reading books has helped our brains to be able million in one-time permit fees, and the data to focus for long periods of time, while internet center project would create $8 million in annual articles and media posts have helped our brains property tax revenues, including $5.1 million for to skim things quickly and efficiently, making it Christina School District. easier to find certain pieces of information. It Jobs, are the main benefit of the data may seem as though people are on social media center. However, there is a lot of conflicting constantly. That is just your brain needing the information. TDC claims that 290 permanent reward surge you get whenever someone likes (continued on page 2 - Local News) (continued on page 15 - Societal Issues) Local News (continued from front page) TDC’s revenue estimates have also been questioned. In October of 2013, TDC presented full-time jobs and 50 part-time jobs will be estimates of tax revenue for the City of Newark. created on site. According to TDC, its tenants Dr. Amy Roe, former mayoral candidate and will bring 300 positions, employees or local founding member of Newark Residents Against hires to the facility, for a total of 640 positions. the Power Plant (NRAPP), says the estimates According to TDC, those jobs will create an were much lower than the earlier estimates by estimated payroll of $38.5 million. The jobs will the city’s finance director that she received in a also create a local demand for goods and Freedom of Information Act Request last services. This would create 320 more jobs in summer. It was written that TDC would pay Newark, generating a payroll of about $15 $1.6 million in taxes to the city. Now, that million. estimate has been lowered to $900,000. Jamie Magee, an opponent of the power Even with the benefits of jobs and tax plant who works in computing, finds different revenue, a large, gas-fired power plant is still a results on job projections. In some of TDC’s concern to many residents. TDC is finding documents, the claim is that the data center will ways to make the power plant less of a polluter. generate 4,770 union jobs during construction, The company states that “the overall design and but on their DNREC (Department of Natural operating philosophy of TDC is reuse, recapture Resources and Environmental Control) air and recycle.” TDC says they are helping the permit application, it says that about 1,000 environment by being efficient with combined construction jobs will created. TDC says that heat and power and carbon recapture. CHP is 290 full-time jobs will be created, but this electricity and heat from a single fuel source number seems to be inconsistent compared to produced at the same time. CHP needs less fuel other data centers. “... TDC has never built a to produce energy, which reduces air pollution. data center, but employment figures for other Another thing that TDC is trying to do facilities are available,” Mr. Magee writes. “Even is keep the air quality under control. Air when excluding the power plant and emissions are regulated by the Environmental vendor/tenant staff, TDC’s 200+ direct hire full Protection Agency (EPA) and the State of time employees for their proposed 288,000 sq ft Delaware to reduce harm to the public. TDC data center is SIX TIMES HIGHER per square will need to prove that they are building the foot than any other major data centers...” data center and power plant responsibly. They will build both as cleanly as possible according to their documents. For example, TDC will use ! Yahoo - 182,000 sq ft - 35 employees Lowest Achievable Emission Rates (LAER) technology for NOx and VOC emission control ! Intuit - 240,000 sq ft - 33 employees and Best Available Control Technology (BACT) to help reduce particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, ! Microsoft - 640,000 sq ft - 100 employees and carbon monoxide emissions. They will also use air dispersion modeling to show that new ! TDC - 288,000 sq ft - 200+ employees (projected) emissions won’t significantly harm air quality. TDC will attempt to reduce NOx by investing in (continued on page 3) Local News con’t. The Nautilus - Page 3 (continued from page 2) pollution be situated so close to hundreds of homes, several daycare centers, and four Selective Catalytic Reduction. An additional elementary schools––as well as UD’s College of SCR scrubber will be placed in the stack to Health Sciences, College of Agriculture and serve as a secondary means of capture. Jim Natural Resources, and major sports facilities?” Black, Delaware Jobs Now lobbyist argues: writes Dr. Kevin Kerrane, UD English professor. “Right now, with today’s technology, the most “Support for this project is short-term thinking efficient way to do it [build the data center and at its worst,” Katie Gifford told Newark City power plant] is the way The Data Centers is Council in January. “...The detrimental effects to proposing to do it...” human health are large. This is a huge step TDC also claims that the Chrysler plant backwards for Newark.” emitted more pollution than them. They say TDC has to go through a complex that Chrysler emitted 1,112.8 tons of volatile process just to move forward. For example, organic compounds (VOC) per year, and 135.7 they submitted an air quality permit to DNREC tons of nitrogen oxide (NOx) per year, while on Nov. 4, but it was incomplete. Now, it has TDC’s power plant will emit 81.3 tons of VOC been resubmitted with the zoning permit per year, and 74.11 tons of NOx per year. approval in written form from Newark’s Board According to Katie Gifford, NRAPP of Adjustment. “Everybody wants all our member and graduate research assistant at UD, details!” says Gene Kern, CEO and founder of the data center is worse in terms of pollution TDC. “Everybody wants us to prove everything than the Chrysler plant. Looking at Chrysler’s we say in advance – far in advance of it ever average between 1999-2006, TDC’s pollution happening. We have to prove what we’re doing will be in some cases about TEN TIMES for the city of Newark, and for the state of HIGHER than Chrysler’s. TDC would Delaware to bring a billion-dollar job to the potentially emit about 95 tons per year of state. We have to jump through every kind of particulate matter compared to about only eight hoop imaginable and possible.” per year for Chrysler. TDC would emit about Many people are against the power 72 tons per year of carbon monoxide, while the plant because it was negotiated behind closed Chrysler plant emitted on average 27 tons per doors starting in early 2012. The public never year. When it comes to nitrogen oxide and knew about the project until June, 2013. In that sulfur dioxide, things even out more. TDC month, TDC met up with Sierra Club of DE, would emit an estimated 74 tons per year of hoping that members would like the plan. NOx, while Chrysler emitted approximately 53 Sierra Club’s Conservation Chair, Dr. Amy Roe tons per year. As for SO2, TDC would emit did not approve. “I thought that was crazy! I roughly 10 tons per year compared to Chrysler, thought it was shocking how close it would be which emitted about 21 tons per year. to homes and schools,” she said. TDC has also Considering this pollution, the location put out conflicting information, which has led of the data center and power plant seems to more mistrust.