Orangetown Data Center Expansion Sparks Protest Over Environment And Ai - News 12
Residents in Orangetown, Rockland County, protested against a Phase 2 expansion of a DataBank data center, citing environmental impacts, increased utility costs, and AI's effect on jobs. They called for a moratorium on future data center growth. A planning board meeting for the proposal was canceled and rescheduled for July 8.
Residents of Rockland County, New York, are actively opposing a proposed Phase 2 expansion of a DataBank data center in Orangetown. Protesters convened outside Orangetown Town Hall, chanting slogans like “We can’t drink data” and advocating for a moratorium on further data center development in the area.
Key concerns voiced by the residents include the increased electricity demand associated with the data center, potential strain on local water resources, and broader anxieties about job displacement due to the artificial intelligence technology that such large-scale facilities support. The opposition comes despite DataBank having already reduced the scope of its Phase 2 proposal, including lowering wattage and removing a planned substation.
An Orangetown Planning Board meeting, initially scheduled to review the data center proposal, was canceled at DataBank's request. The meeting has since been rescheduled for July 8. The cancellation followed a well-attended March 25 planning board session where numerous residents had previously expressed their disapproval of the project.