Protect Surprise & West Valley from a 700 MW Gas Power Plant
Takanock LLC wants to build a massive data center complex with 18 jet turbine generators just half a mile from Surprise city limits, in one of the most air-polluted counties in America. The Arizona Corporation Commission has already approved the environmental certificate. Maricopa County is our last chance to stop this.
The issue: A 700 MW gas power plant — 18 jet turbine generators, 72-foot exhaust stacks, running 24/7 — proposed one mile from an active Air Force base and 2,000 feet from family homes, in a county that already fails federal air quality standards. That's what's being decided.
On February 4, 2026, the Arizona Corporation Commission voted 5-0 to approve the Certificate of Environmental Compatibility for Project Baccara. The Line Siting Committee had previously approved it 8-1 in December 2025. Our fight now moves to Maricopa County, where the Military Compatibility Permit and Board of Supervisors approval are still required.
Takanock has announced a Q3 2026 construction start target. The clock is running.
Over 5,000 signatures on the Stop Baccara petition. Over 1,000 members in the Project Baccara Opposition Facebook group. Similar data center projects were stopped in Chandler and Tucson through community pressure in 2025. This IS stoppable.
Project Baccara's air quality permit application is currently under review at the Maricopa County Air Quality Department. The public comment window closes April 4, 2026. This is a formal legal process. Every comment submitted becomes part of the official record.
Concern 1: Minor vs. Major Title V Classification. Takanock is applying for a Minor Title V permit. Their estimated emissions figures appear to fall just under the threshold that would require a Major Title V classification. This classification matters for two reasons. First, Major sources face substantially stricter monitoring requirements and regulatory oversight. Second, if classified as a Major source, the facility may legally qualify as a utility under Arizona law, and utilities are prohibited on this project site by state statute. The numbers deserve independent scrutiny.
Concern 2: Greenhouse Gas Exclusions. Applying as a Minor New Source appears to allow the project to exclude projections for certain greenhouse gas emissions. This prevents the public and regulators from seeing a complete and accurate picture of the facility's total environmental impact. If reclassified as a Major New Source, Arizona law requires the project to offset 1.2 tons of emissions for every 1 ton emitted, an important safeguard that should not be bypassed through permit classification.
Concern 3: Best Available Technology. The project proposes Siemens Simple Cycle natural gas turbines. Federal law under the New Source Performance Standards (NSPS, 40 CFR Part 60) requires new sources to control emissions to the level achieved by the best demonstrated technology. Simple Cycle turbines are not considered compatible for sites near residential areas. H-Class combined cycle (CCGT) turbines are the industry standard near communities. They operate at 64% efficiency, can use up to 50% less fuel, and run significantly quieter than Simple Cycle units.
Send an email to AQPermits@maricopa.gov referencing permit numbers F053690 and P0013417. The contact person is Audrey Lang at 602-506-1842. Comments must address air quality issues only. Use the template below.
To: AQPermits@maricopa.gov
Subject: Public Comment on Project Baccara Air Quality Permit Application (F053690 and P0013417)
I am submitting a public comment regarding the Project Baccara permit application (F053690 and P0013417).
I am concerned that this project is applying for a Minor Title V / Minor New Source permit while emissions estimates appear just under the threshold that would require Major Title V classification. That classification matters: it affects monitoring requirements, regulatory oversight, and whether the facility may qualify as a utility under Arizona law, a designation that carries additional legal obligations for this site.
Applying as a Minor New Source also appears to allow the project to exclude projections for certain greenhouse gas emissions, preventing the public and regulators from seeing a complete picture of the facility's total impact. If this facility qualifies as a Major New Source, Arizona law would require the project to offset 1.2 tons of emissions for every 1 ton emitted, an important safeguard that should not be bypassed through permit classification.
I also urge the County to evaluate whether the proposed Simple Cycle natural gas turbines meet Best Demonstrated Technology requirements under the Federal New Source Performance Standards (NSPS, 40 CFR Part 60). More efficient technologies exist and are commonly used in similar facilities to reduce both emissions and fuel consumption.
Please ensure this permit application receives full scrutiny on classification, emissions completeness, and technology standards before any decision is made.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[Your Email]
HB 2452, which would have required counties to designate land for data centers and restricted their ability to block such projects through zoning, is dead. Six Republicans joined Democrats to defeat it on the House floor. A reconsideration motion was filed but also failed, ending the bill's path forward this session.
Source: MultiState Policy, March 3, 2026
ABC15 returned to Project Baccara in a follow-up report examining the environmental and public health implications of self-powered data centers across Arizona. West Valley resident Melissa Parsons, who first raised concerns about Baccara in January, was featured again, this time alongside two independent academic experts who validated the community's core concerns.
Why this matters: Independent academic experts, not just local residents, are now on record raising unresolved health and efficiency questions about gas-powered data centers sited near homes. That is directly relevant to the Maricopa County Air Quality permit comment period closing April 4, 2026. If you have not submitted a comment yet, the template and instructions are at the top of this page.
The same concerns affecting Baccara are playing out statewide. For a parallel fight right here in Surprise, see noiceinsurprise.com, where the community is opposing a proposed federal ICE detention facility at the same address.
Source: ABC15 Impact Earth, March 2026
We've published a comprehensive fact-check analyzing Takanock's own emissions data, public statements, and supporter claims, all with full sourcing.
The same Maricopa County Board of Supervisors that will decide Project Baccara's fate unanimously denied BNSF Railway's $3.2 billion logistics hub in November 2025, citing lack of infrastructure and city coordination.
Why this matters for Baccara: The Board has shown it will deny major industrial projects when developers don't coordinate with affected communities. Takanock is following the same playbook.
Sources: Maricopa County Official | Surprise Independent
On February 18, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors approved a rezoning for a 638-acre data center campus with solar power generation and battery storage near Tonopah, far from residential areas.
Why this matters: The Board has already approved large-scale projects in appropriate locations — rural, clean-powered, away from homes and active military bases. The question before them on Baccara is whether this site — one mile from Luke AFB, 2,000 feet from residential neighborhoods, in a nonattainment air quality zone — meets that bar. The Tonopah project does not set a precedent for approving Baccara.
Source: AZBEX
The pushback against poorly sited data centers is not just local. Across the country, state legislatures are moving from welcoming data centers with tax incentives to demanding accountability.
The national trend is clear: communities are demanding that data centers bear the full cost of their impact, not push it onto residents.
Sources: MultiState Policy | WilmerHale Legal Analysis
Takanock has released a detailed construction and operations timeline that shows the project moving faster than many residents expected.
What this means: Maricopa County Planning and Zoning hearings are not an abstract future event. If construction starts on schedule, county approvals must happen in the next few months. Public comment windows are opening now.
Sources: Data Center Dynamics | AZBEX
The Arizona Corporation Commission unanimously approved Project Baccara's Certificate of Environmental Compatibility despite significant community opposition.
"I don't believe that this is a good location for the project. The air quality issues in this area concern me immensely. To add a power plant to this populated area is not the right move." -- Margaret Little, Line Siting Committee Member
Sources: Arizona Daily Independent | National Today
Major media coverage of growing community opposition to Project Baccara.
"Hopefully our lawmakers and those that are elected are paying attention to what's going on." -- April Butler, Surprise Resident
Source: ABC15
Opposition to data centers is spreading across the Valley, with major projects being stopped.
Source: KTAR
West Valley residents expressed strong opposition at public meetings about the project.
"When I wake up and step out of my home to enjoy the quiet of the morning, I envision a future view of 18 72-foot-tall exhaust stacks, breathing poisoned air and hearing the constant hum of jet engine turbines." -- Hollie Tolmachoff, West Valley Resident
Source: Blaze Radio / ASU
What we know about Project Baccara, documented and sourced.
The real impact on our community, with evidence.
Maricopa County is already among the most air-polluted counties in the United States. Adding 18 natural gas jet turbines with 72-foot exhaust stacks will increase emissions of nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter in an area where air quality already threatens public health.
The EPA's Clean Air Act requires areas to meet National Ambient Air Quality Standards, Maricopa County has historically struggled with ozone and particulate matter compliance.
Source: American Lung Association
The project is estimated to use nearly 59 million gallons of water annually to cool the 18 power plant jet turbines. In Arizona, where water is a precious and increasingly scarce resource, this consumption is unsustainable.
While Takanock claims they will use cooled chillers instead of evaporative coolers, the city has NOT independently verified these claims.
Source: Change.org Petition
Residents describe the anticipated noise as "the constant hum of jet engine turbines." The facility would operate 24/7, disrupting sleep and quality of life for thousands of families in the surrounding area.
The city has requested noise studies, but no independent verification has occurred.
Source: Blaze Radio
The proximity of a massive industrial facility with exhaust stacks and noise presents a financial threat to homeowners, many of whom have invested their life savings in these homes.
Industrial facilities near residential areas have been shown to depress property values by 10-25% in multiple studies.
Source: Change.org Petition
Data centers generate massive amounts of heat. Combined with 18 natural gas turbines, this facility will contribute to localized temperature increases, worsening an already extreme heat problem in the Phoenix metro area.
Families moved to this area for its rural character and peaceful environment. This massive industrial complex threatens everything they chose this community for.
"Race across the grass, check on our neighbor's cattle and catch toads at sunset. This is the life we hoped for. Project Baccara, planned just a half mile from our home, is threatening all of this." -- Resident testimony
Where the project stands, and where we can still fight.
APPROVED, ACC voted 5-0 on Feb 4, 2026
Line Siting Committee approved 8-1 in December 2025. This hurdle is passed.
PENDING, Required from Maricopa County due to proximity to Luke AFB
Luke Air Force Base is approximately one mile away. This permit is a genuine pressure point, Luke's mission and flight patterns are a real constraint on what can be built in this area.
PENDING, Public hearings upcoming, project in second submittal stage
This is where public comment matters most. Comments become part of the official record. Show up and submit in writing.
PENDING, Final decision authority
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has final say. Community pressure at this level has stopped similar projects before.
Community pressure works. Keep showing up.
What you can do today to help stop Project Baccara.
Join over 5,000 residents who have already signed the Stop Project Baccara petition.
Connect with over 1,000 members in the Project Baccara Opposition Facebook group. Get updates, share information, and coordinate.
Submit formal comments opposing the project. Comments become part of the official record and must be considered.
The project is currently in second submittal stage. Hearings before the Planning and Zoning Commission are coming soon.
The Board has final approval authority. Let them know their constituents oppose this project.
Show up to Planning and Zoning Commission meetings and Board of Supervisors hearings. Numbers matter.
Check the P&Z Commission calendar for meeting dates.
While the project is in unincorporated county land, Surprise is requesting thorough review. Push them to formally oppose the project.
Know the facts when the conversation gets hard. Click to expand.
The developer claims approximately 100 permanent jobs and $50 million in tax revenue. But at what cost?
The question here isn't whether economic development matters. The question is whether this site — one mile from an active Air Force base, surrounded by family homes, in one of the most air-polluted counties in America — is appropriate for a 700 MW gas power plant. The Board applies that standard to every project. It denied a $3.2B BNSF logistics hub on the same grounds.
The "bring your own power" model is being marketed as a benefit, but it comes with significant downsides:
The site is zoned IND-3 (industrial), but the reality is more complicated:
Just because something can be built somewhere doesn't mean it should be.
The ACC approval was narrow in scope and didn't address all concerns:
"The air quality issues in this area concern me immensely. To add a power plant to this populated area is not the right move." -- Margaret Little, Committee Member (voted against)
Community opposition has stopped similar projects before, in Arizona and across the country:
The petition has 5,000+ signatures. The Facebook group has 1,000+ members. People are showing up. This is how projects get stopped.
Make your voice heard at every level.
Final approval authority. Your district supervisor needs to hear from you.
Find Your SupervisorPush for formal opposition resolution. The project is half a mile from city limits.
Contact CouncilAG Mayes has pursued legal challenges against other controversial projects. Make her aware of community concerns.
Contact AGRequest independent air quality impact assessment.
Contact MCAQDState representatives can apply pressure and propose protective legislation.
Find LegislatorsSend to Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and Planning and Development.
Dear [Supervisor Name / Planning and Development],
I am writing to express my strong opposition to Project Baccara, the proposed data center and 700 MW natural gas power plant planned for the Bullard Avenue and Olive Avenue area in unincorporated Maricopa County.
While the Arizona Corporation Commission has approved the Certificate of Environmental Compatibility, significant concerns remain that must be addressed before any county permits are issued:
Air Quality: Maricopa County is already among the most air-polluted counties in the United States. Adding 18 natural gas jet turbine generators with 72-foot exhaust stacks will worsen air quality for thousands of residents. Line Siting Committee member Margaret Little voted against the project specifically because "the air quality issues in this area concern me immensely."
Water Usage: The project is estimated to use approximately 59 million gallons of water annually. In a water-scarce desert environment, this consumption must be independently verified and scrutinized.
Community Impact: The nearest residents are approximately 500 meters from the site. Over 5,000 people have signed a petition opposing this project. Similar data center projects were rejected in Chandler and Tucson after community opposition.
I urge you to:
1. Require independent air quality, noise, and water impact studies, not just developer-provided assessments
2. Hold public hearings with adequate notice and accessibility
3. Consider the cumulative impact on a region that already struggles with air quality compliance
4. Deny the Military Compatibility Permit and Plan of Development until all concerns are addressed
This project may bring some jobs and tax revenue, but not at the cost of our air quality, water resources, property values, and quality of life.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[Your Email]
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