Many community members voiced their concerns about what they perceive as the potential threats of a facility like a data center in Oneonta, gathering at the First United Methodist Church in Oneonta Wednesday, Dec. 3 for an informational meeting.
The meeting was held in light of recent backlash regarding a proposal for an agricultural research center, which initially was proposed as a data center, in the town of Oneonta.
Georgie B. Smith, a local artist and teacher who lives close to Cooperstown Junction, led a presentation, providing some background on data centers, as well as the proposed agribusiness in Oneonta.
Most of her sources of information on data centers were not disclosed during the course of the presentation, however Smith obtained the proposals for the Oneonta data center project through a Freedom of Information Law request.
Smith said there is little regulation throughout the country on the growth of artificial intelligence. Will Rivera, Oneonta town supervisor-elect, said New York state’s Responsible AI Safety and Education Act was the first legislation in the country to “regulate AI frameworks,” but it has not been signed yet by the governor.
Some data centers use the same amount of energy as a small city, Smith said, and with the strain this puts on the electric grid, it would raise everybody’s energy costs. Water pollution is another concern, she said, as some AI data centers use copious amount of water in liquid cooling systems to cool the servers.
Regarding job creation, Smith said AI data centers can create temporary jobs, such as during construction, but after the facility is fully operating, jobs decrease.
“Depending on the level of automation at the data center, it could be as little as five people, and in some of these massive centers they have up to 500 people,” Smith said. “It’s a very small amount of people actually on site running these data centers.”
Shifting to speak more specifically about the proposal in Oneonta, Smith said in the first proposal, applicants listed data center on the request for the rezoning.
At the May 14 Town Board meeting, Daily Star archives stated, applicants said the company was looking to rezone the parcel in question from residential-agricultural use to industrial. The proposal has changed since.
At the Oct. 8 Town Board meeting, applicants said the proposal is for an agricultural research project, not a data center. The research center would use computer servers to produce heat to grow plants using a hydroponic system.
The applicants are Tirusha Dave and Prashanth Gorantala, representatives from EcoYotta Inc.
They are seeking a planned development district, or PDD, at 357 County Route 9, according to Daily Star archives. Smith said in the first proposal, the estimated use was for 150,000 kilowatts per year. In the new proposal, Smith said, it estimated 3 million kilowatts per year, an increased amount of energy usage.
Smith added that the applicants have a memorandum of understanding with SUNY Oneonta. She shared an excerpt, which stated that the intent of the agreement is to “collaborate through meetings and discussions that will foster academic collaboration, research opportunities, workforce development, and technological innovation through the establishment of a mutually beneficial relationship.”
Alex Lau, from Oneonta, said he spent the first three to four years of his career wearing a warm coat in July because that is what you have to wear in a data center. He said there is nothing to teach a college student in a data center.
He said AI is “the new dotcom bubble,” and everybody will put money into it without knowing where the “finish line is.”
“That’s the cautionary tale of AI,” Lau said. “You’ve got to throw billions of dollars at this thing, and if you don’t, you will be left behind.”
Anna Marie Lusinus, who sold the property the proposed development is for in 2020, said it was resold about a year ago. Throughout the meeting, she remained steadfast in her support for the project. Having been on the Town Board for 20 years, she said when she first moved to the area there were many farms in the town.
She said she sees the project as a “way for farmers in New York using the AI and the servers and the heat from the servers for growing hydroponic vegetables.”
“I go to Texas, and they have two or three growing seasons down there. Wyoming has one growing season,” Lusinus said. “We have one growing season, and if there is some way we can keep these farms going with hydroponics, that would be outstanding.”
Patty Jacob, another former Town Board member, said the most concerning element of the proposal is the lack of transparency by the applicants. She asked why they bought the 153 acres of land knowing it was zoned residential agriculture.
If the goal is to start an industrial project, Jacob asked why the applicants would not purchase land in an industrial zone.
“I think that if I was excited about something, and I thought it was going to be a really good thing for this community, and I thought that I could make this work, I think that I would want to share those things with the community, not keep them confidential,” Jacob said.
There will be a meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 9 at the Oneonta Town Hall, where the project applicants will present. This meeting will not have an open floor for the audience to speak. The next Town Board meeting will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 10, which will allow for petitioners to comment.