Virginia monitoring air quality in ‘data center alley'

Loudoun County is home to more data centers than anywhere else in the world. For years, some residents have wondered whether data center emissions affect air quality. Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) now is testing the air to gather data. At times, data centers use their diesel-powered backup generators as part of testing that happens monthly or sometimes more often. The testing causes dark exhaust to spew from the rooftops, a sight that causes some Loudoun residents to...