Teleos EarthRed lines
Ten commitmentsConditions of approval
Ten things we will not do, in writing, before the hearing.
On a planning application the site is drawn with a red line. In English a red line is also the limit one will not cross. These are ours, in the numbers counties have already fought for, each with its test and the county that uses it.
01The ten
The county criteria.
Each has a measurable test and an ordinance precedent. Cleveland, Tennessee’s draft ordinance for an $11.3 billion campus already requires a 60 decibel limit at the property line with continuous monitoring, 75 per cent of directly used power and 90 per cent of process water generated on site with closed-loop cooling, and annual reports on water and power use. We adopt the numbers counties have fought for rather than inventing softer ones.
- Red line 01
Noise at the fence
At most 50 decibels at night and 60 by day at the property line, continuously monitored, with the data public.
Precedent: Cleveland, Tennessee; Statesboro, Georgia.
- Red line 02
Water, closed and counted
Closed-loop cooling. Gallons per megawatt-hour metered and published. A cap written into the permit.
Precedent: Lancaster, Pennsylvania (20,000 gallons a day); Athens-Clarke County, Georgia.
- Red line 03
No cost to neighbours’ bills
A signed large-load tariff, or permitted self-supply, before construction begins.
Precedent: AEP Ohio’s large-load tariff: 85 per cent of subscribed capacity paid for, for up to twelve years.
- Red line 04
Clean power, mostly ours
At least 75 per cent of directly used power from on-site or contracted additional clean generation. No unpermitted combustion.
Precedent: Cleveland, Tennessee’s draft ordinance for an $11.3 billion campus.
- Red line 05
Setback and screening
At least 500 feet from any home. Nothing visible, audible or perceptible beyond the line.
Precedent: The setback and screening conditions now common in county ordinances.
- Red line 06
No secret deals
The developer’s identity, the end user’s category and the full community benefit agreement published before the hearing. No non-disclosure agreements with public officials.
Precedent: The transparency conditions adopted after the Prince William rezoning was voided.
- Red line 07
Generators under rules
Inventory, fuel, testing hours and emissions permits filed and public.
Precedent: The Clean Air Act permitting that the Memphis case turns on.
- Red line 08
Decommissioning bond
A funded restoration plan, approved with the permit.
Precedent: Standard practice for utility-scale solar and wind, applied to data centres.
- Red line 09
Local benefit, in writing
A community benefit agreement with numeric commitments, independently verified every year.
Precedent: The community benefit agreements several counties now require.
- Red line 10
Annual public scorecard
Power, water, noise, emissions, jobs, payments and complaints, verified by an assessor and published.
Precedent: Cleveland, Tennessee requires annual reports on water and power use.
02In our own name
And three of our own.
Our name goes on the application. Every filing names Teleos Earth as the developer and names the category of the end user. No shell entities, no code names.
No non-disclosure agreements with public officials, ever. What we say to a planning director we will say at the hearing.
The site follows the county. We choose the jurisdiction first, for its ordinance and its willingness, and offer the Standard’s community section as the basis for conditions of approval. Then we find the land.