00:00I wanted to ask you, while I have you here, if you've been receiving complaints or if you are
00:07aware of folks reaching out about data center construction impact on drinking water quality.
00:15I am aware.
00:17You're aware. And what are some of the things that you're seeing and hearing?
00:21So one of, I think, the biggest concerns is related to water availability, which is why we
00:27recently relaunched the Water Reuse Action Plan 2.0 to focus on ensuring that whether it's data
00:35centers or anything about water quality, though?
00:39I'm not aware of that.
00:41Okay. Are there any complaints? I mean, are you observing any negative impacts on
00:48data center construction on water quality for Americans?
00:51I don't think anything like that's been raised to my attention.
00:54Okay. I would like to do so. A few weeks ago, while Congress was in recess, I visited Morgan
01:01County, Georgia, where Meta is building a massive data center campus. They are clear-cutting
01:09forests and began having construction, including explosive blasting. And families in the area
01:17are starting to see not only their water pressure decrease, to your point about water availability,
01:24but their appliances have all stopped working because it is decimating their water quality.
01:31They now rely on bottled water to drink and prepare meals. And nearby residents' water bills
01:37are expected to increase by 33%. In fact, I have a jar right here.
01:44This is the current drinking water in Morgan County, Georgia, right after a data center was
01:54constructed. The Meta data center was constructed. The only difference between the clean water and
02:00this was that data center. I have another one as well. So this wasn't just one well.
02:07These wasn't just one family's situation. This is what the drinking water now looks like
02:14next to that data center. And I think both of us can agree that neither one of these things
02:21are drinkable. These families now have to ship, in a rural area, have to ship water to their house
02:27in order to cook and bathe themselves. Now, I'm curious if the EPA plans any investigations on
02:37how data centers are affecting water quality and availability. I understand what you said about
02:42the rule, but are there going to be any open investigations on this issue? So as soon as I
02:46get back to the office, I will be looking into exactly what you've just talked about. Because
02:51anywhere, whether it is, whether, whatever type of construction it is, it is a priority to ensure that
02:57water quality standards established by EPA are being met. And so we'll be looking into that
03:02certainly. Thank you. I sincerely appreciate that because I think this is of utmost importance and
03:09we're seeing this happening across the country. I'd also like to ask about the administration's push
03:14to build more data centers by fast tracking construction. Because the administration's been issuing
03:23executive orders to fast track data center construction when we know that water quality
03:30is encountering major issues. Are there any mandates for data centers to do water quality testing prior to
03:39construction? Of like coming from a public water supply, drinking water supply sampling? Wells, yeah. I'm not aware of
03:51anything like that. However, it doesn't mean it. I'm just not aware of it. It might exist, but I'm not
03:54aware of it.
03:55Yes, of course. You know, I think it's important that, you know, you as an agency official, we have to
04:02make sure we're doing these investigations. Then us, on a congressional level, I'd like to note that I think it's
04:07of utmost importance that we also launch congressional investigations into this matter as well so that we can partner with
04:13the EPA and ensure that the drinking water for this country continues to be safe and accessible for the American
04:19people. So thank you.
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