Lansing data center opponents plan Salt Point rally Friday
Opponents of a proposed 300-megawatt data center in Lansing, New York, are holding a rally at Salt Point Natural Area to urge Governor Kathy Hochul to sign the Responsible Data Center Development Act. This legislation would impose a one-year moratorium on large data centers and require future projects to meet energy-efficiency and public benefit standards. Activists from FLX Strong and other groups are concerned about the environmental, quality-of-life, and economic impacts of TeraWulf's proposed project on Cayuga Lake.
Opponents of a 300-megawatt artificial intelligence data center proposed for the Cayuga Lake shoreline in Lansing, New York, are planning a rally at Salt Point Natural Area. The event, scheduled for Friday, August 28, aims to pressure Governor Kathy Hochul to sign the Responsible Data Center Development Act, a bill that passed both chambers of the state Legislature in June.
The proposed legislation seeks to impose a one-year moratorium on hyperscale data centers larger than 20 megawatts and mandate energy-efficiency standards, host-community public benefit programs, and public hearings for future projects. This initiative follows Governor Hochul's July 14 executive order establishing a temporary moratorium on data centers larger than 50 megawatts, but organizers argue the new legislation offers broader coverage and addresses a wider range of environmental, economic, labor, and community impacts.
Organized as part of a statewide "Stop Data Centers" tour by state Sen. Kristen Gonzalez and the environmental group Food & Water Watch, the rally will feature local and state elected officials, activists, and community leaders. Members of the FLX Strong coalition are expected to speak against TeraWulf's proposed data center, citing concerns about the clearing of over 40 acres of forested hillside, bedrock blasting, construction noise, ongoing operations, wildlife impacts near the Cayuga Shores Wildlife Management Area, electric-grid reliability, and rising power costs. The computing equipment for the proposed facility would be used by companies like Google and Core42.