DATA CENTER PROPOSAL: QUESTION SHEET BEFORE THE MEETING Confirm the project phase, the body making the decision, and the current deadline in the official notice. Ask for a document and a page number for each answer. Project and phase: __________________________________________________ Who decides, and when: ______________________________________________ ======================================================================== 1. WATER AND COOLING Say this: What is the water estimate for the busiest day, and what is its source? May we see the water utility’s assessment of whether it can meet that demand in a drought? A useful answer includes: - Water amounts for the busiest day (the “peak day”) and for the year. The water source and the project phase. - Water returned or consumed, the drought plans, and the utility’s study of how much it can supply. Where to look: - Water-utility capacity study or service agreement - Cooling-system description and site plans - Water permit and dated operating reports Your answer: Does a public record for this project give a water estimate for the busiest day (the “peak day”)? [ ] Yes [ ] No [ ] Not known [ ] Does not apply Mark Yes when: A source gives a peak-day estimate as a number, for the phase you are checking. This does not prove the supply is enough. Mark No when: A source says outright that no peak-day estimate has been prepared for that phase. Mark Not known when: You found only averages, company-wide totals, a source you could not open, or no clear answer. Take care: - Keep forecasts and measurements apart. - Do not rename all water use as water consumption. Document and page: __________________________________________________ What they said: _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ ======================================================================== 2. POWER AND CARBON Say this: Is your clean-power claim based on yearly totals or on hourly matching? Which grid region does it cover? And where are the results for the site? A useful answer includes: - The site’s electricity use, the time period used for matching, and the grid region. - The power projects, who owns the certificates, and when the promised new supply begins. Where to look: - Site electricity or emissions report - Utility supply agreement and power-purchase disclosures - Certificate-retirement or independent verification report Your answer: Does the project’s stated clean-electricity claim use hourly matching? [ ] Yes [ ] No [ ] Not known [ ] Does not apply Mark Yes when: The project’s accounting says outright that it matches use and generation hour by hour. Write down the region, the time period and the percentage actually matched. Mark No when: The source says outright that this claim is matched by the year only, not by the hour. Mark Not known when: The time period is not stated. Or the claim is for the whole company. Or a goal is given without a method. Take care: - “Renewable” and “carbon-free” are different groups of energy sources. Name the sources that are counted. - An hourly goal is a promise. A dated hourly result is reported performance. Document and page: __________________________________________________ What they said: _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ ======================================================================== 3. GENERATORS AND AIR POLLUTION Say this: Can you name every generator and turbine on the site? Does each one have a final permit or an exemption? How many hours may each one run, and how many has it run? A useful answer includes: - The final permit, or an agency’s formal finding that no permit is required. - The equipment, the fuel and the allowed uses. The conditions on running hours, and the hours actually run. Where to look: - Air-agency permit and equipment inventory - Air-quality analysis - Operating logs, emissions reports and inspection findings Your answer: Is a final air permit public for the equipment you are checking? [ ] Yes [ ] No [ ] Not known [ ] Does not apply Mark Yes when: You have the issued permit, and it matches the named equipment and project phase. It does not prove zero emissions. It does not prove the rules are being followed. Mark No when: The agency’s record directly shows one of three things. The relevant permit has not been issued, has been denied, or is no longer valid. Mark Not known when: You have an application, a press statement, a record you could not open, or equipment not matched to a permit. Take care: - If an agency documents an exemption, record it. Then mark this permit question “Does not apply.” - Read the permit’s emergency rules. Do not assume one yearly limit on hours applies every time the equipment runs. Document and page: __________________________________________________ What they said: _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ ======================================================================== 4. NOISE NEAR HOMES Say this: What noise limits apply at the nearby homes? How does the study deal with a low hum and with running at night? And who checks the site once it is finished? A useful answer includes: - The sound study for the site, the limits that apply, and where sound is measured. - Where relevant, a review of low-frequency or tonal sound, and follow-up measurements. Where to look: - Acoustic study and site plan - Local noise rule or approval conditions - Post-construction sound measurements and complaint findings Your answer: Does an adopted rule or approval set a noise limit, as a number, for the site when it runs? [ ] Yes [ ] No [ ] Not known [ ] Does not apply Mark Yes when: The adopted rule that applies sets a limit as a number. Write down its units, where it is measured, the time period and any exceptions. Mark No when: The authority in charge confirms outright that no such limit applies to the site. Mark Not known when: You found only construction hours, a draft study, general promises, or a rule you could not verify. Take care: - Do not use one national decibel cut-off to judge every site. - A measurement that meets the limit does not show that nobody is disturbed. Document and page: __________________________________________________ What they said: _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ ======================================================================== 5. POWER COSTS Say this: Which adopted terms say who pays these costs? What must the customer pay if it closes early? And which costs can still reach other customers? A useful answer includes: - The adopted terms for four costs. These are making power (generation), moving it across the grid (transmission), delivering it locally (distribution), and connecting the site. - Which customers the terms cover, the payment guarantees and the terms for leaving. Also any exceptions to how costs are divided. Where to look: - Utility commission order and adopted tariff - Approved service agreement and financial-security terms - Utility cost study and later rate-case records Your answer: Can you see approved terms saying which electricity costs this project must pay? [ ] Yes [ ] No [ ] Not known [ ] Does not apply Mark Yes when: Approved utility rules or an agreement apply to this project. Explain the protections and the exceptions. A Yes does not mean other customers face no risk. Mark No when: The authority in charge confirms outright that no adopted document assigning this project’s costs (a “cost-allocation instrument”) applies. A proposal that is still pending does not show this by itself. Mark Not known when: Only a promise or a draft is available. Or it is unclear whether the terms cover this project. Or key terms cannot be checked. Take care: - “Pays its own way” needs an explanation for each cost. - Tax revenue is one question. How the utility recovers its costs is a separate question. Document and page: __________________________________________________ What they said: _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ ======================================================================== 6. DECISIONS AND COMMITMENTS Say this: Where is the adopted condition for this promise? Which authority enforces it? And when is the next public decision or reporting deadline? A useful answer includes: - The current land-use decision and the exact condition being claimed. - Who checks that the condition is met, when reports are due, and what happens if it is missed. Where to look: - Council or planning decision, staff report and meeting minutes - Permit conditions and signed agreements - Compliance reports, amendments and appeal decisions Your answer: Is the specific promise you are checking a condition that can be enforced? [ ] Yes [ ] No [ ] Not known [ ] Does not apply Mark Yes when: An adopted permit or agreement that applies contains that requirement and names a way to enforce it. Write down the exact condition. Mark No when: The source says outright that the promise is voluntary, not binding, or still only proposed. Mark Not known when: You cannot match the promise to an adopted condition. Or it is unclear whether the condition applies or how it is enforced. Take care: - Choose one promise at a time. Do not answer for every commitment at once. - Land use, air permits, water service and electricity approvals can each involve a different public body. Document and page: __________________________________________________ What they said: _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ ======================================================================== WHAT THE ANSWERS MEAN - Yes: The cited record directly supports the exact question. - No: The cited record directly shows the opposite. Explain how narrow that finding is. - Not known: The evidence is missing, cannot be opened, conflicts, or is too broad to answer the question. - Does not apply: A documented reason means this question does not apply. Write down the reason and its source. - Do not turn a missing document into No. - Answer for the named project, phase and date. - Use “Does not apply” only with a documented reason. One example is a permit exemption that an agency has confirmed. - A Yes can show that something was disclosed or required. It is not proof of good overall performance. THREE KINDS OF EVIDENCE - Company statement: What a company says about its project, such as a design claim or a forecast of what will happen. - Adopted requirement: What an adopted decision or agreement that applies to this project requires. - Measured result: What was measured during a stated period, with a note of who reported it or checked it. The six questions in full: https://datacenters.lofilabs.xyz/learn/