(Tompkins Weekly, 2-18-26, by concerned Danby community members)
We acknowledge that Water is Life and that we are living on land continuously inhabited by Indigenous GayogohÓ:no people.
There is a book of Iroquois teachings written by Tom Porter (Sakokweniónkwas), titled And Grandma Said…It’s interesting that Porter’s book notes that the Iroquois recognized that white people appeared after the rest, and that they are like little siblings needing to be watched over.
“And so it is with the European people, the white race. Whenever elders in the past have told them stuff, they didn’t follow it. Don’t pollute the river. And they keep doing it.” … “And now there is no regard for the natural elements of the universe by big corporations, by the big countries.”
Thankfully, some of our politicians are getting the message. FLX Strong and a coalition of concerned partners filed an Article 78 Petition in Tompkins County Supreme Court challenging the Town of Lansing’s Zoning Board of Appeals approval of TeraWulf’s bid to categorize the proposed AI Data Center as a ‘general processing’ facility. The petition argues that the Zoning Board has effectively rewritten the Town Code under the guise of interpretation; this petition will ensure that the valid concerns of Town residents and others who stand to be harmed by this decision are not disregarded by biased and inadequate governance processes.
A recent study found that US electricity demand could increase by 60-80% over the next quarter century. By 2030, data centers would account for more than half the increase, costing between 886 and 978 billion and pumping anywhere from 19-29% more planet-heating carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. People are becoming increasingly aware.
Legislator Liz Krueger states, “massive data centers are gunning for New York, and right now we are completely unprepared.” In response, New York legislators are proposing a three-year pause on the creation of data centers. The environmental group Food & Water Watch called the proposal, “the strongest data center moratorium bill in the country.”
Additionally, Tompkins County Legislators passed a resolution calling on the Department of Environmental Conservation (NY DEC) to conduct an environmental review of the site’s suitability for a data center. It also asks state regulators to require developers to apply for an updated water use permit.
TeraWulf claims their closed-loop system will not use water from Cayuga Lake, yet Cayuga Operating Company’s water use application requests 1.008 million gallons per day (MGD) of continued water withdrawal. They claim that their Somerset facility on Lake Ontario does not use lake water, yet an article by Assemblymember Anna Kelles notes, “In 2024, the (Somerset) property continued to report water withdrawal and returns in the millions with an average of 2.6 MGD and with a single-day maximum again of 32 MGD.”
New York State requires metering or estimating withdrawals, but doesn’t require metering water consumption or losses. Return volumes can be estimated, so companies can legally report zero use, regardless of what’s true.
A recent article in Forbes notes, “In 2023, U.S. data centers consumed an estimated 17 billion gallons of water, according to federal and industry analyses compiled by the Energy Department and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Hyperscale facilities alone are projected to consume between 16 billion and 33 billion gallons annually by 2028.”
Public trust of corporate promises is understandably low based on historic actions of misinformation and public harm. The stakes are too high to just accept their words, holding them accountable going forward is critical.
Research shows that data centers drive up utility prices and have significant negative impacts on the environment and community. New York State Assemblymember Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas states, “these facilities increase pollution, drive up electricity costs, and threaten farmland and natural land, while disproportionately impacting low-income communities and Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities that have long faced environmental injustice.”
As reported in an article by Heated (heated.world) entitled “AI is guzzling gas,” the AI boom is driving a rapid expansion of methane gas infrastructure – pipelines and power plants – to power the technology. Experts warn this could have devastating climate consequences. “There is just no possible way to achieve net zero when you’re adding tens to even hundreds of gigawatts of more gas power to the system,” said Tyler Norris, electric power systems researcher at Duke University.
Emily Atkin writes, “FERN and Rolling Stone’s new investigation is a remarkable piece of public service journalism that gives a preview of what could happen as data centers multiply across rural America to fuel the artificial intelligence boom, often in places with scarce water, weak oversight, and political systems easily overpowered by Big Tech Money.”
What is each one of us worth? What are our children worth? Who’s going to look after our well-being if it’s not us? Let’s hope we can protect all communities from becoming one of those overpowered places.
Signs of Sustainability is organized by Sustainable Finger Lakes. If you’d like to contribute an article, email: signsofsustainability@gmail.com. If you liked this article, check out our complete archive.
