Yahoo! hearing in Quincy attracts crowd

QUINCY - About 40 people attended a public hearing about Yahoo!'s Quincy expansion and proposed addition of 10 more diesel generators to its site.

Of the four people who testified, three individuals, including Danna Dal Porto, of George, and former Quincy mayor Patty Martin, voiced concerns about the project Thursday night, said Cathy Cochrane, a state Department of Ecology (DOE) spokesperson, on Friday.

Some were worried about health consequences of diesel exhaust, Cochrane said.

Martin wanted to make sure the DOE's process complied with regulations, Cochrane explained.

Terry Brewer, executive director of the Grant County Economic Development Council, spoke in support of the project, she said.

Brewer said he was supportive about the care Yahoo! took in designing their facility to be as sustainable as possible.

Cochrane said Brewer was very supportive of DOE's processes."From all the consultants, he'd heard we are the most strict anywhere," she explained. "He felt we were doing our jobs."

Cochrane, of DOE, said Scott Noteboom, of Yahoo!, spoke about how the company is hoping to avoid using generators and instead, may transfer data to a Nebraska data center during a power outage.

Pat Boss, a spokesperson for the Port of Quincy, later said he's planning on submitting a letter of support for the project.

At the meeting, he said he was concerned Quincy was being held to a higher standard than anywhere else in the state, Cochrane said.

The hearing is part of the state's process to allow the company to add 10 diesel generators to its data center project.

The generators are available in case of a power outage.

The project is going through a "health impact assessment" as DOE toxicologists examine the level of public risk.

The public comment period ends today.

A summary responding to public questions is posted online in the next two weeks, at www.ecy.wa.gov.

Public comments determine what happens with the permit, she said.