A proposed 500-megawatt data center at the STAMP campus in Genesee County may be among the first projects affected by Gov. Kathy Hochul’s one-year moratorium on certain large-scale data centers announced July 14.
The controversial project has already prompted questions from nearby Monroe County lawmakers about water supplies, electric rates and environmental impacts.
The executive order affects data centers using more than 50 megawatts of power which have not received all of their permits. It’s the first statewide moratorium in the nation. A bill to regulate data centers had already passed the state Legislature in June but it has not advanced to Hochul’s desk for signing. The governor said she will also pursue legislation to repeal the sales tax exemption for data centers.
The moratorium would halt projects going through the approval process, which would appear to include the proposed Stream U.S. Data Centers facility at the Western New York Science, Technology and Advanced Manufacturing Park, or STAMP, in Genesee County. When reached for comment, a spokesperson for Genesee County Economic Development Center said the agency’s legal counsel is still reviewing the language in the executive order.
The 500-megawatt data center has yet to pass the Town of Alabama’s planning process. The town’s next planning board meeting is scheduled for Aug. 3, where the center was expected to be on the agenda. The July 6 meeting was canceled after GCEDC advised the planning board it would not be able to complete the documentation and supporting information in time for the agency to make its environmental review determination. No July 20 meeting was scheduled due to vacations.
“We agree that more study is needed to assess the impacts of these facilities on our shared environment – our waters, air, and plant and animal species — and on our utility rates, electrical grid, and quality of life,” said Allies of the Tonawanda Seneca Nation, in a statement.
The Tonawanda Seneca Nation, whose territory abuts the STAMP development, and the Sierra Club announced a lawsuit on July 13 that challenges the town’s zoning agreement with GCEDC. The suit alleges the zoning agreement violates state law because it prevents the town from making changes to its municipal zoning laws and comprehensive plan without the agency’s approval.
Earlier the same day, a letter from elected officials and organizations was sent to state Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Amanda Lefton, asking that no approvals or permits for the Stream U.S. data center project be issued until the company produces a complete site plan application. The letter also requested GCEDC carry out a new wetlands delineation on the site as directed by DEC. It was signed by state Sen. Samra Brouk and Graham Hughes, director of policy and advocacy at the Climate Solutions Accelerator of the Genesee-Finger Lakes Region, among others.
Six Democratic Monroe County legislators signed a July 9 letter to the executive director of the Monroe County Water Authority with questions about the sale of water to Genesee County. MWCA currently sends 2.5 million gallons of Lake Ontario water to Genesee County and will add another 2.5 million gallons once the second phase of a water supply project is complete. The letter requested answers to:
The same county legislators – Rachel Barnhart, Mercedes Vazquez Simmons, Linda Hasman, Susan Hughes-Smith, Nazish Jeffery and Marvin Stepherson – sent a letter to Rochester Gas & Electric on July 9, requesting a briefing on matters related to the STAMP site. The letter questioned:
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Hochul data center moratorium could affect Genesee Co. STAMP project
Reporting by Steve Howe, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
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By Steve Howe, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle | USA TODAY Network
