00:00Assistant Administrator Kramer, you are in charge of the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Water, correct?
00:07Correct.
00:08And in your written testimony, you communicated a value that I think we all appreciate,
00:16which is that a top priority for EPA is ensuring continued drinking water safety, right?
00:23Correct.
00:23And this is a bedrock, foundational value of the EPA, and it's one of the big reasons why it exists.
00:32And I also appreciate your commitment to clean water specifically.
00:37In fact, you said it very well on a Maha action call just last month that, quote,
00:43when I turn the tap on and when every American turns the tap on, there should be confidence in what's
00:49in your drinking water.
00:50And I think that's a value that we all share.
00:54I wanted to ask you, while I have you here, if you've been receiving complaints or if you are aware
01:02of folks reaching out about data center construction impact on drinking water quality?
01:10I am aware.
01:12You're aware.
01:13And what are some of the things that you're seeing and hearing?
01:15So one of, I think, the biggest concerns is related to water availability, which is why we recently relaunched the
01:24Water Reuse Action Plan 2.0
01:26to focus on ensuring that whether it's data centers or anything about water quality, though?
01:34I'm not aware of that.
01:36Okay.
01:37Are there any complaints?
01:38I mean, are you observing any negative impacts on data center construction on water quality for Americans?
01:46I don't think anything like that's been raised to my attention.
01:49Okay.
01:50I would like to do so.
01:52A few weeks ago, while Congress was in recess, I visited Morgan County, Georgia, where Meta is building a massive
02:01data center campus.
02:03They are clear-cutting forests and began having construction, including explosive blasting.
02:08And families in the area are starting to see not only their water pressure decrease, to your point about water
02:17availability,
02:19but their appliances have all stopped working because it is decimating their water quality.
02:26They now rely on bottled water to drink and prepare meals.
02:30And nearby residents' water bills are expected to increase by 33%.
02:35In fact, I have a jar right here.
02:39This is the current drinking water in Morgan County, Georgia, right after a data center was constructed.
02:49The Meta data center was constructed.
02:51The only difference between the clean water and this was that data center.
02:58I have another one as well.
03:00So this wasn't just one well.
03:02These wasn't just one family's situation.
03:07This is what the drinking water now looks like next to that data center.
03:12And I think both of us can agree that neither one of these things are drinkable.
03:18These families now have to ship, in a rural area, have to ship water to their house in order to
03:23cook and bathe themselves.
03:28Now, I'm curious if the EPA plans any investigations on how data centers are affecting water quality and availability.
03:36I understand what you said about the rule, but are there going to be any open investigations on this issue?
03:40So as soon as I get back to the office, I will be looking into exactly what you've just talked
03:45about.
03:46Because anywhere, whether it is, whatever type of construction it is, it is a priority to ensure that water quality
03:52standards established by EPA are being met.
03:55And so we'll be looking into that, certainly.
03:58I sincerely appreciate that, because I think this is of utmost importance, and we're seeing this happening across the country.
04:06I'd also like to ask about the administration's push to build more data centers by fast-tracking construction.
04:16Because the administration's been issuing executive orders to fast-track data center construction when we know that water quality is
04:26encountering major issues.
04:30Are there any mandates for data centers to do water quality testing prior to construction?
04:38Of, like, coming from a public water supply, drinking water supply sampling?
04:44Wells, yeah.
04:45I'm not aware of anything like that.
04:47However, it doesn't mean it.
04:48I'm just not aware of it.
04:49It might exist, but I'm not aware.
04:51You know, I think it's important that, you know, you as an agency official, we have to make sure we're
04:57doing these investigations.
04:58And then us, on a congressional level, I'd like to note that I think it's of utmost importance that we
05:04also launch congressional investigations into this matter as well,
05:07so that we can partner with the EPA and ensure that the drinking water for this country continues to be
05:13safe and accessible for the American people.
05:15So, thank you, Administrator.
05:20Subscribe to One India and never miss an update.
05:25Download the One India app now.
05:28two days later.
05:28All부 pseudarchive products2關 palpate.
05:28And I'll see you all the same.
05:28And then we'll see the kinds of wiem and then we'll see the best tour there.
05:29I'll see you and then back in the next episode after it's sorted.
05:30The most beautiful rainbow is that the shadow?
05:30The cloud is an incredible event which we are on the right.
Comments