QUINCY - The state Department of Ecology (DOE) approved Yahoo!'s permit for its data center expansion in Quincy.

The permit gives Yahoo! permission to add 10 backup diesel generators to use during a power outages, stated Karen Wood, of the DOE, this week.

Public comments were taken into account with the final permit, but it wasn't changed as much as Microsoft's expansion permit, explained Cathy Cochrane, a DOE spokesperson.

It is because information from Microsoft's permit was incorporated into Yahoo!'s, she explained.

The comments the DOE received were mostly from two of the same people providing comments for Microsoft's expansion, she said.

The "Tier 3 process," an extensive review used by DOE to determine health impacts of the project, hasn't been done much in Washington state, Cochrane explained.

"We're also trying to do our part to make sure everyone's needs are satisfied along the way and also keep in mind the industry has deadlines they're trying to meet," she commented.

Lisa Karstetter, Yahoo!'s community relations strategist, said the company hopes to have its expansion done by the end of July.

The company just started shipping generators to Quincy, once the permit was issued.

"We were very glad the permit went through so we can keep on our time schedule," Karstetter commented.

So far, the shell of the building is done and exterior work started.

The building looks completed from the outside, she said.

The generators are placed on pads outside.

Yahoo! has been in the permitting process for six months, including the time it took to complete the state application and modeling. The public review process followed.

"It's a long process," Karstetter said. "The DOE does a good job, in my opinion, of holding us to the standards Washington state has set for air quality, so we're safe and keep economic development going on as well."