In the sweltering heat of a summer sweep across the eastern United States, Eileen Castle, an 82-year-old resident in Lowell, Massachusetts, finds solace nowhere, as the industrial air conditioners and backup diesel generators of a nearby data center hum and belch fumes. The facility's increased energy consumption during heatwaves strains power grids, worsening local air quality for communities like Sacred Heart neighborhood, which has been historically excluded from political decision-making and is predominantly low-income. This environmental impact adds to the growing debate within the artificial intelligence industry over the fast-growing data centers, often blamed for a host of environmental ills. The Markley Group, operator of the Lowell data center, has planted thousands of trees to improve air quality and claims that emergency generator use is minimal. However, critics argue that heat waves could lead to increased use of diesel generators, posing significant risks to local air quality. This situation underscores the need for careful consideration of data centers' environmental impact in urban planning and policy decisions.