OpenAI is seeking to build part of its data center in Effingham County, Texas, on wetlands.

According to the Savannah Morning News, the company has applied for a federal permit to fill 72 acres of wetlands at the data center site.

OpenAI filed the permit application with the United States Army Corps of Engineers. If approved, it would allow OpenAI to build four large data center facilities and related infrastructure on the land at the Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub, a 2,600-acre campus tailored for industrial companies.

Plans for the campus first emerged in July. The project, dubbed Project Camelia, is expected to span 4.4 million sq ft (408,773 sqm).

The company has contracted 3.2GW of power from the Georgia Power Company, which is expected to begin delivery between 2028 and 2032. Reports at the time suggested that the company could spend more than $30 billion developing the project.

OpenAI has said that it will pay the full cost of infrastructure and electric services related to the data center and will reduce its power consumption with up to 1GW of "flexible demand response" during periods of high demand.

News of the filing has raised concerns among environmental groups, who have warned that building over the wetlands could lead to flooding.

“That is a massive amount of impervious surface being added to an area that’s bordered by two permanent creeks, and we know we have flooding issues off Dasher Creek,” said Jeff Beauvais, an activist with the conservation nonprofit One Hundred Miles.

“So for folks who are downstream, this is not going to help.”

In response, OpenAI said that it has hired engineers to study stormwater runoff, with the company also announcing plans to construct stormwater infrastructure that will match the natural drainage capabilities of the existing wetlands and natural soils.

However, beyond flood control, wetlands provide several major benefits to the local environment and its biodiversity. Under the terms of the Clean Water Act, developers need a permit from the federal government to destroy or disturb wetlands, with the permit approved only if the site represents the “Least Environmentally Damaging Practicable Alternative."

According to OpenAI, its data center plan preserves 70 percent of wetlands within its project site, including a larger, contiguous strand of wetlands.

The application is open for public comment until November 4. One Hundred Miles is seeking to pressure OpenAI and the Army Corps to hold a public hearing where local residents can engage with the developers in person.