Members of a local environmental advocacy group joined a pair of state lawmakers in a rally on Friday in Buffalo, where they called for a pause in the development of data centers in New York.
Members of the non-profit group the Clean Air Coalition of WNY and a pair of Buffalo Democrats — state Sen. April Baskin and state Assemblywoman Karen McMahon — said it’s time to “stand against tech billionaires” by opposing unregulated data centers and supporting a proposed statewide moratorium on such projects.
“Clean Air began our work fighting for the public health of the people of Tonawanda and Western New York and our shared environment,” said coalition member Ben Stilson. “We will not allow this next generation of industries to perpetuate the same injustices of the past.”
Friday’s rally comes less than two weeks from the May 13 closing date of the Public Service Commission’s public comment period on Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposed policy that would require data center developers to “bring their own generation” to any such projects. It also comes as Albany lawmakers are considering a bill, co-sponsored by Baskin, to authorize a statewide moratorium on data centers.
The moratorium could impact a pending project in Niagara Falls — a $1.5 billion, nine-building data center campus that the private firm Niagara Falls Redevelopment wants to build on 53 acres the company owns off John B. Daly Boulevard, across from Seneca Niagara Casino. Plans for the project remain under review by the city’s planning board.
During Friday’s rally, Baskin said the moratorium is needed to allow more time to evaluate how data centers will impact the state’s electrical grid and its environment.
“As data centers are popping up across the state and our electric bills are rising, now is the time to hit the pause button,” Baskin said.
McMahon said acting on the moratorium now would be a move to protect both affordability and the environment.
“Data centers are known to consume enormous amounts of energy, placing strain on the grid, impacting local environments and driving up utility costs for residents,” McMahon said. “These bills ensure costs are not shifted onto communities and give the state an opportunity to fully assess long-term impacts.”
The Clean Air Coalition is currently working on its review of a 400-plus page proposal for the Riverview Innovation Tech Campus, a data center project under consideration for the former Tonawanda Coke property in the Town of Tonawanda. The group is urging Tonawanda officials to require a “clear separation” of the final phase of the site’s cleanup process and the first phase of the data center development. They are also calling for the Tonawanda Community Working Group to begin regularly reconvening.