Politicians rally Central New Yorkers against data center proposals
State Senators Rachel May and Kristen Gonzalez joined a forum in Lysander, New York, to rally residents against proposed energy data centers. Local concerns include increased utility bills, water pollution, and noise. The event follows a large protest in Lansing, where a petition against a data center on Cayuga Lake has garnered over 20,000 signatures.
State Senators Rachel May and Kristen Gonzalez, alongside a former Onondaga County Health Commissioner, led a forum in Lysander, New York, to address residents' concerns about a large data center proposed along Oswego Road, north of Baldwinsville. Senator Gonzalez emphasized the importance of responsibly legislating technology to benefit from innovation while protecting New Yorkers from risks associated with large data centers.
The discussions highlighted significant opposition, with residents expressing fears of increased utility bills across the region, minimal tax contributions from developers, water usage and pollution, and substantial noise. Although Governor Hochul has enacted a pause on new large-scale data centers over 50 megawatts, attendees at the Lysander meeting stated that this measure does not go far enough.
This forum came one day after hundreds of people gathered in Lansing to protest a separate proposed data center project on the shores of Cayuga Lake. A petition opposing the Lansing data center has already collected more than 20,000 signatures, indicating strong community resistance to such developments in Central New York.