JOIN US FOR A VIRTUAL MEETING!
Tuesday, January 14th at 7:15 p.m. via ZOOM:
SPEAKER: Julie Bolthouse, Director of Land Use,
Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC)
The PEC was founded in 1972 and includes 9 counties of the Virginia Piedmont. Their mission is to restore land and waters to these regions (Albemarle, Clarke, Culpeper, Fauquier, Greene, Loudoun, Madison, Orange, and Rappahannock counties, and the City of Charlottesville). Ms. Bolthouse has been studying the impacts of data centers as they proliferate in our adjacent Virginia jurisdictions. Loudoun County has been the site of numerous such facilities and the environmental impacts are alarming. The push to place them in Maryland counties is growing and WMCCA has asked Ms. Bolthouse to brief us on her findings. The PEC office is headquartered in Warrenton , Va. so this will be a ZOOM meeting.
Click here for a link to the meeting recording and additional items referenced.
Data Centers May Be Our Greatest Environmental Threat
President’s Letter by Ginny Barnes
Recently, a proposal to site a data center complex has been proposed by Terra Energy for the former site of the PEPCO plant in Dickerson adjacent to the C&O Canal and the Potomac River. The hearing examiner has given conditional approval for the project. These facilities have been shown to gobble massive amounts of natural resources to operate. The amount of water needed to cool servers is astronomical. Estimates are that in Northern Virginia where 300 such complexes are housed in what is called “data center alley”, each complex is using 5 million gallons of water per day to cool their servers. The Potomac River is the source of public drinking water for 3 jurisdictions and the watershed may not meet this demand as soon as 2040 according to the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin (ICPRB). Water is already a finite resource necessary to sustain life. Can we afford to overuse it for this purpose?
Massive amounts of electricity are also required to power data centers. As much as 10-50 times that of a similarly sized office building for each center. This seriously strains the power grid. As a result, coal plants are now being kept online longer to meet this demand. It has been projected that the power required for Virginia’s data centers will double the state’s peak demand by 2038. Emergency diesel generators required as back-up for any power loss create carbon emissions. Maryland recently passed exemptions for data centers to use diesel generators as backup power, overriding existing air quality and emissions laws.
The primary reason for the rise of data center resource consumption is artificial intelligence (AI). Montgomery County, The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, and the State of Maryland have set zero emissions goals, but how will these be achieved if the excessive emissions of data centers are allowed? Data centers also emit acoustic waste in the form of “noise pollution” caused by the constant hum of their operations. For communities near such centers, reports have been growing that the constant computational whirl of data centers is much more than an annoyance. They may also be a source of mental and physical harm in the form of hypertension, anxiety, and other symptoms associated with such constant noise pollution.
Have we, in our quest for more and more technology, created monsters we cannot control? Is the pursuit worth the cost? We speak of the ‘Cloud’ as if it were far removed and innocent. But the Cloud now has a greater carbon footprint than the airline industry. A single data center can consume the equivalent electricity of 50,000 homes. Is this the future we really want? How will any of this consumption of natural resources and emissions of waste save our already damaged planet?
Potomac Climate Action Workshop: 1/25/25, 10:00am – 12:30pm
Submitted by Barbara Hoover
Does climate change concern you? Take heart by taking action! Climate action newbies and veterans are all warmly invited to join a hands-on World Cafe discussion of what our community can do to reduce carbon emissions. We will brainstorm carbon reduction ideas as individuals, as community members, and as concerned citizens. Registration for the limited number of spaces is required: https://www.potomacvillagegc.org/events-1/climateworkshop/form
The location will be sent to those who register. This event is being organized by The Potomac Village Garden Club and The Potomac Community Village. For more information email the Garden Club at: pvgcmd@gmail.com
Some Optimistic News for Cabin John
Submitted by Carol Van Dam Falk
In early December 2024, WMCCA’S neighbors in Cabin John advised us of a proposed development and rezoning of the current Level Fitness property located at 7687 MacArthur Boulevard. The proposal was to build 11 four-story, 44ft-high townhomes on the 0.48-acre property. The proposed development application requested a local map amendment to rezone the property. Mobilized by the Cabin John Citizens Association (CJCA), neighbors and residents organized to communicate what an outrageous plan this was for this small community. The good news is that, based upon a December 12, 2024 informational meeting held by developers with the community, the developers now will not seek rezoning, are reducing the planned density, and will provide more details in January 2025. Community involvement does make a difference! Please make your voice heard when you see or hear something that is just wrong.
How to Recycle / Dispose of Christmas Trees
Submitted by Barbara Hoover
From your single-family home or townhome: Montgomery County Dept. of Environmental Protection accepts Christmas trees year-round in their curbside yard trim recycling collection. Place your Christmas tree at the curb by 7 a.m. on your recycling collection day. Remove the stand and all decorations, including lights, ornaments, tinsel, plastic bags, and garland. Also be sure there is no metal attached to the tree. “Live” Christmas trees with root balls and artificial trees cannot be collected as yard trim.
From your HOA governed neighborhood, apartment, or condominium or business: Residents of apartments and condominiums: check with your property manager or representative for specific recycling instructions.
REMINDER: IT’S TIME TO RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP FOR 2024-2025!
Please renew or become a new member of WMCCA. Go to our website www.wmcca.org to download a membership form or join using PayPal: Individual: $25 / Family: $50. We encourage donations to our Legal Fund. While we strive for positive results without litigation, sometimes it is unavoidable and highly effective. Contributions from members enable us to join efforts to successfully address multiple issues regarding the Potomac Subregion Master Plan, zoning, and environmental threats to the “Green Wedge”, our creeks and water supplies, and the Agricultural Reserve. If you have any issues or concerns in your neighborhood, please contact WMCCA. We appreciate the input from our neighbors. Our Membership year runs from October 1st to September 30th. Thank you for your support !!
Let us know if you are willing to go paperless. E-Newlettters save the expense of rising postage and printing costs. Thank you!! Please email: hooverb@msn.com.
West Montgomery County Citizens Association Newsletter
P.O. Box 59335, Potomac, MD 20854-9335
President – Ginny Barnes: President@WMCCA.org
Website: WMCCA.org – Thomas Fahey, Newsletter Editor – Nancy Madden
West Montgomery County Citizens Association 