Two groups that are closely monitoring the environmental impact of the Intel development and other projects in western Licking County are hosting a town hall meeting in Johnstown on Wednesday, Aug. 13.
Clean Air & Water for Alexandria and St. Albans Township and Policy Matters Ohio will update area residents and take questions during the meeting from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Johnstown’s Mary E. Babcock Branch of the Licking County Library at 320 N. Main St.
The grassroots Clean Air & Water organization came together to address environmental concerns about proposed asphalt- and concrete-mixing facilities proposed for St. Albans Township near the village of Alexandria in 2023. The group has since expanded its environmental watchdog role to include the broader impact of Intel’s $28 billion computer-chip manufacturing campus and the growing number of data centers in western Licking County.
Clean Air & Water’s latest initiative has been to establish a community air-monitoring network to get baseline testing data before Intel and other industries begin operating in the county. The air monitoring network is a collection of SimpleAQ air monitors that sample and record ambient air quality. The initiative is entirely funded and operated by area residents, not the government.
| Read more: Licking County residents take environmental testing into their own hands in face of Intel, development
During the town hall meeting, the organizations will provide updates on the Intel campus, which has repeatedly pushed back its production start date; the latest on the potential environmental impact of that project and others in the region – including natural gas-fired power plants being built to electrify some data centers; details about the growing air-monitoring network; and to explain how residents can get involved.
The organizations said in a release that pizza will be provided during the town hall meeting, which is free and open to the public. Anyone planning to attend can register for planning purposes at https://actionnetwork.org/events/intel-in-licking-county.