Auburn City Council to Consider 12-Month Data Center Moratorium
The Auburn City Council is set to consider a 12-month local moratorium on new data center construction to study how the industry should be regulated. This follows their previous call for a statewide moratorium but aims to provide local protection regardless of state action. The council seeks to update land-use regulations that did not anticipate data center impacts.
The Auburn City Council is scheduled to vote on a proposed 12-month moratorium on the approval and construction of new data storage facilities within the city. This local measure would prevent Auburn from accepting or processing applications for such projects while officials evaluate appropriate regulations for the rapidly expanding industry.
The proposal comes after the council's unanimous vote last month supporting a separate one-year statewide moratorium, urging Governor Kathy Hochul to sign the Responsible Data Center Development Act. That state legislation, which passed both houses in June, aims to study the potential effects of data centers on electric ratepayers, water resources, public health, communities, and the environment. Auburn's staff recommendation favors a temporary local pause, regardless of the outcome of the proposed statewide moratorium, to update the city's land-use regulations and address concerns regarding electricity demand, water consumption, noise, and environmental impacts.
In a separate matter on the same agenda, the council will also consider pursuing a state grant of up to $962,500 from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). This funding would contribute to a $2.75 million overhaul of geothermal heating and cooling systems for several municipal buildings as part of the Centennial Building Project, with an application deadline of August 14.