‘Energy Hog’ Bus Tour Takes Aim at Data Centers Around New York

Buffalo Toronto Public Media | By Ryan Zunner

Environmental advocates have begun a statewide bus tour to lobby Governor Kathy Hochul to crackdown on AI data centers and fully enforce the state’s 2019 climate law.

Speaking in front of the former Tonawanda Coke site, where a large data center is being proposed, New York Public Interest Research Group’s regional coordinator Alex Bornemisza said if officials are serious about tackling affordability, data centers are the place to start.

“AI data centers require a tremendous amount of energy, zapping electricity from the public grid,” he said. “These energy hogs could lead to rising air pollution, industrial use of local clean water, and skyrocketing utility bills.”

Syracuse, Kingston, New York City and Albany are among the stops for the bus after kick-off in Tonawanda.

(Ryan Zunner/BTPM NPR)

Over the next week the “energy hog” bus decorated like a pig will travel to Syracuse, Kingston, New York City and Albany.

Bornemisza and other groups including PUSH Buffalo and the Sierra Club are supporting legislative action against data center projects.

Assemblymember Karen McMahon and State Senator April Baskin are among a group of legislators pushing for a three-year moratorium on new data centers. The bill is currently in committee.

While this is a statewide effort, Bridge Rauch of the Clean Air Coalition of Western New York said the AI data center proposal at Tonawanda Coke is a symbol of how corporate pollution can evolve.

“We fought to make sure that that [Tonawanda Coke] was reined in, and that the people responsible for harming people were held accountable,” said Rauch. “So the big question now is like, what’s going to happen with this site as they finish up their remediation?”

Developer Jon Williams told WGRZ that the Tonawanda data center would be different than others.

“There are a lot of issues that data centers have caused in other regions of the country, and we spent a lot of time to ensure that not only the tenant, but the operator of this facility had answers for those,” Williams said.

At an estimated power usage of 300 megawatts, Rauch argued the job return for the proposed data center isn’t worth it. Data centers of that size typically employ around 100 workers, while the General Motors plant just down the road uses less power and employs thousands.

Image: The “energy hog bus” will travel throughout New York state over the next week, raising awareness on data centers and other environmental issues. (Ryan Zunner/BTPM NPR)