Category: Policy

A Meta-Affiliated Data Center Discharged a Deadly Bacterial Strain Into a Wyoming Town’s Wastewater

A Meta-Affiliated Data Center Discharged a Deadly Bacterial Strain Into a Wyoming Town’s Wastewater

A Meta-Affiliated Data Center Discharged a Deadly Bacterial Strain Into a Wyoming Town’s Wastewater

07/07/26

“How did a Meta-affiliated data center discharge a deadly bacterial strain into a Wyoming town’s wastewater?”

Data centers are very controversial for their heavy environmental strain. Recently, a Meta-affiliated data center was found to have discharged a deadly strain of bacteria into the wastewater pipes of Cheyenne, the capital of the U.S. State of Wyoming. This bacterial strain, known as Cupriavidus gilardii, is a multidrug-resistant pathogen that may have a mortality rate as high as 31.3 percent. As a consequence of this finding, local officials are withholding waste-dumping privileges from any data center connected to the municipal water services. This is how A Meta-Affiliated Data Center Discharged a Deadly Bacterial Strain Into a Wyoming Town’s Wastewater.

Image credit: Laramie Boomerang + Meta

Industrial Parks

Industrial Parks

Industrial Parks

07/04/26

“How do governments create areas for industrial development?”

Industrial development can be a planning nightmare. It needs to be close enough to major transportation and infrastructure access, but far away enough from residential neighborhoods to shield people from pollution. One way to accomplish this is to designate areas as Industrial Parks. Industrial parks cluster industrial buildings in a specific area for optimal output. Industrial parks can focus on specific industries, allowing different businesses to work together for synergy. Industrial parks typically have industry-specific infrastructure such as high-power electricity lines, dedicated water towers, or commercial rail stops.

Microfreight

Microfreight

Microfreight

05/19/26

“How can we describe parcels and food freight shipments that can be moved in small containers?”

Freight transportation is typically talked about as if it exclusively belongs in large, heavy containers moved by rail, cargo ship, or truck. However, people can move smaller items like parcels and food by ferries and cargo bikes for “last-mile” delivery as Microfreight. Microfreight transportation is much less carbon and infrastructure-intensive. Cities can become more sustainable by switching more freight to microfreight. New York City is pioneering microfreight deployment.

Dam Removal

Dam Removal

Dam Removal

05/07/26

“Why do people remove dams?”

Dams are constructed to harness hydroelectric power, suppress floods, irrigate agriculture, store drinking water, and much more. However, dams will degrade over time, and their drawbacks may outweigh their benefits. Consequently, people will undertake Dam Removal projects. Dam removal can restore riverine ecosystems to their natural state.

ALARA/ALARP Principles

ALARA/ALARP Principles

ALARA/ALARP Principles

04/22/26

“How can we take a practical, secure approach to environmental safety in organizational operations?”

Environmental safety in organizational operations can vary drastically, ranging from simple catch-basin cleanup to nuclear remediation. While we can’t completely remove risk, we can heavily reduce to as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA, reduce it as much as you can achieve, such as going beyond basic care in heavy radiation settings) or as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP, reduce risk to as low as whatever fits guidelines/standards and is cost-benefit optimal). These ALARA/ALARP Principles are fundamental to creating a safe place for everyone.

Lockout/Tagout

Lockout/Tagout

Lockout/Tagout

03/12/26

“How can we make sure we’re safe during hazardous energy appliance maintenance?”

Maintaining an appliance with hazardous energy can be very dangerous. So what can we do to make sure we’re safe during this time? Well, what if we identify the hazardous energy sources, deenergize the energy sources,  use a lock to physically isolate the source of energy to ensure no accidental activation occurs, add a warning tag with our name and contact information, test the system to make sure energy was isolated, conduct maintenance work, and then get everyone out before removing locks and tags to renergize the system? Well, this is the idea behind Lockout/Tagout, a widely adopted hazardous energy maintenance protocol. 

Capitalized Costs

Capitalized Costs

Capitalized Costs

03/09/26

“How can we quantify the total amount needed to start a fund to generate enough interest to pay for a project?”

People can put down money to fund a project or scholarship for perpetuity. But how can we accomplish this? Well, what if we make an investment fund so large that the money made from interest will pay for annual costs? This is the principle behind Capitalized Costs, equal to the annual operating cost divided by the interest rate.

TCLP — Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure

TCLP — Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure

TCLP — Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure

03/08/2026

“How can we determine if waste will leach toxic chemicals when it rains?”

Surface waste management has to account for a lot of variables. One of them includes determining if the waste will leach toxic chemicals when it rains. SO what if we were to grind waste down like it was in a landfill, mix the waste with a weak acidic solution similar to acid rain, tumble the mixture for 18 hours, and chemically analyze the leachate output for contaminant limits? Well, these are the steps behind the TCLP — Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure, an EPA RCRA procedure to determine the potential toxicity of waste leachate. 

Image credit: http://www.btlliners.com

The NCEES Model Rules

The NCEES Model Rules

The NCEES Model Rules

03/03/26

“What models the rules and regulations for U.S. engineering and surveying licensing boards?”

The NCEES Model Law defines the powers and duties of U.S engineering and surveying licensing boards. But it’s not complete by itself. The boards also require rules and regulations for member boards to implement the concepts defined in the law. These come in the form of The NCEES Model Rules. As an analogy, the NCEES Model Law is like defining a tool, while the NCEES Model Rules explain how to use the tool.