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Thornton Acoustics & Vibrations are Professional Noise and Vibration Control Engineers and Expert Acoustical Consultants
Thornton Acoustics & Vibrations is a professional engineering firm specializing exclusively in acoustics, vibrations, noise measurement, and noise control throughout North America. With over 1,500 completed projects since 1972, the firm offers expert witness and forensic engineering services, community noise and environmental impact assessments, and HVAC/mechanical system noise control — capabilities directly applicable to evaluating…
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Sovereignty – AI Now Institute
Despite branding local data centers as sovereign infrastructure, Meta, Amazon and Alphabet retain full ownership of the cloud hardware they place in Global South countries. Researcher Rafael Grohmann proposes "popular digital sovereignty," drawn from Brazil's Homeless Workers Movement, where communities build worker-owned tech cooperatives independent of Big Tech and the state.
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The Overlooked Reality of Hyperscale Data Center Security
Pinkerton, a corporate security firm, details the physical defense layers hyperscale data centers deploy — perimeter fencing, surveillance grids, buffer zones and concentric access controls. Site selection risk assessments factor community opposition, power grid stability and local law enforcement capacity alongside traditional crime metrics.
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Localized Air Pollution Impacts from Data Centers in Northern Virginia
In Northern Virginia, collective emissions from more than 100 data center backup generators rival output from the region's largest power plants. VCU researchers map CO, NOx and PM 2.5 at the census-block level, finding pollution concentrations correlate with lower income and education levels. Permitted totals would far exceed any other regional source.
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“Expert Insights on Best Practices for Community Benefits Agreements” by Matthew Eisenson and Romany M. Webb
Thirty-five recommendations from attorneys and experts who have collectively negotiated dozens of Community Benefits Agreements lay out how developers and host communities draft enforceable CBAs for direct air capture hubs and other clean energy projects — covering negotiation processes, accountability mechanisms and contract terms.
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Community Benefits Agreements Database | Sabin Center for Climate Change Law
The Sabin Center at Columbia Law School lists publicly available community benefits agreements for solar, wind, offshore wind, energy storage, carbon capture, transmission and waste management projects in states including New York, California, Massachusetts and Maine. Entries detail payment amounts, escalation schedules and targeted local benefits such as hiring commitments and environmental monitoring.
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Amp Up the People: A Practical Guide for Energy Justice Advocates in Utility Regulation
The Initiative for Energy Justice and Vote Solar co-created this guide for frontline communities navigating utility regulation. Covers Integrated Resource Plans, rate cases, Public Utility Commission proceedings, public comment strategies and equitable rate structures. Includes case studies of successful advocacy and a glossary of regulatory terms.
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Utilities for All: The People’s Playbook to Ending Debt & Shutoffs
This playbook synthesizes lessons from 16 organizers and activists fighting for affordable, reliable energy and water. Covers tactics for banning utility shutoffs, eliminating consumer debt and building campaigns for local democratic control of utility systems. Funded by the Union for Concerned Scientists.
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Homer City Generation Site Redevelopment — PA DEP Regulatory Documents
In Indiana County, Pennsylvania, the decommissioned 2 GW Homer City coal plant is converting to a 3,200-acre natural gas-powered data center campus. PA DEP's regulatory portal collects air quality plan approvals, NPDES water permits, blasting permits, asbestos demolition notices, emission reduction credits and wetland impact authorizations for the project.
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National Zoning Atlas
More than 9,700 U.S. jurisdictions in one searchable, interactive zoning map. The National Zoning Atlas converts local zoning codes into standardized data covering housing type, minimum lot size and parking requirements. Built-in tools generate shareable snapshots, side-by-side town comparisons and downloadable screenshots.
Exposing AI Data Center Threats and Harms