Finland’s Supervisory Agency (LVV) has told the company behind Google’s planned data centres in Muhos and Kajaani to suspend work that would “significantly alter the environment” by 23 October, after more than 300 hectares of forest were cleared, at one site without the mandatory environmental impact assessment. The developer has until 14 October to explain itself, or face enforcement proceedings.
The sites are part of the €13bn investment Google announced less than a month ago, its largest single investment in Europe, and Google says it “fell short” of its own standards and will follow the agency’s guidance. Interesting test of how far Nordic countries will bend environmental rules to win the AI data-centre race.
This is the 7th. How much forest can they clear in 16 days? Then an environmental impact assessment is no longer necessary because there is no environment!
The company said they’re going to follow the recommendations and stand down ASAP. Which is great, because any kind of shenanigans they would pull at this point would be incredibly bad PR for them. The gov’t agency is frowning at them, the municipal governments are saying “guys, you’ve got to fix this stuff”, the media shall be watching them with great interest, and the public opinion, well…
This isn’t USA, you can’t just, you know, do shit here.
You just have to knock enough of it down so it all burns. In a world with cellphones, getting stop orders out immediately should be expected.
I’m reminded of the early US park service and conservation efforts. The government was trying to save old growth forests and the logging companies were setting up land sales and then clear cutting it before the ink dried. Basically moving faster than communications and travel in that time.
There’s more to an EIS than tree clearing. Water quality, noise pollution, rate increases for power/water, aesthetic impacts, irretrievable resources (lost production of lumber/agriculture), wildlife, wetlands, erosion, socioeconomic impacts, coastal impacts… The EIS covers any short or long term effects the project may have and allows for both agency response and public comment.