Data center would be bad fit at STAMP site, consuming vast resources for minimal gain

Editor:

I recently learned that the Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) has approved a proposal from a data center that wants to locate at the WNY Science and Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park (STAMP) mega industrial site.

This plan is environmentally unjust and destructive. It is also fiscally irresponsible and will undermine sustainable economic development of the region.

The 1250-acre STAMP campus is being constructed in a rural agricultural area and is surrounded by a network of public protected lands such as the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge. The local area is home to several endangered species including the short eared owl and the northern harrier hawk and is a popular stopover point for migrating bird species, who seek out the area’s pristine waters and relative quietude.

Moreover, STAMP is being constructed on the border of the federally recognized Tonawanda Seneca Nation, whose citizens continue to hunt, fish and collect medicines on their homelands. A data center at STAMP would profoundly harm all of the beings who visit and make their homes in this area.

Data centers do not make good neighbors. The noise emitted by data centers is equal to a rock concert, with constant decibel levels between 80 dB and 120 dB. Data centers are also sources of light at night. This noise and light pollution would disrupt migration patterns of birds and drive away local wildlife, impacting subsistence practices of Tonawanda Seneca citizens and also affecting recreational hunting and fishing in the area.

Moreover, data centers are tremendous consumers of water and energy resources. They deplete and contaminate water resources, pollute the air, and strain the power grid. The proposed data center at STAMP, Project Hydroscale, would use 195 mW of electricity daily. It would also use a large quantity of water, which GCEDC proposes to siphon from the Niagara River and transport to the site in a pipeline built to carry up to 6 million gallons daily.

As GCEDC has itself admitted publicly, data centers do not fit the profile of tenants they claim to want to attract to STAMP. Importantly, because they employ a minimal, specialized workforce, they do not contribute in a significant way to local economic development. Rather, they undermine sustainable economic development by sucking up precious resources. Data centers require large plots of land and infrastructure. They are major contributors to global emissions and environmental waste that ends up in landfills due to ever-changing technology.

The lifespan of a data center is approximately 15-20 years. Their intensive resource use is not justified by their economic impact or job creation potential. Data centers represent exactly the kind of development that Western New York cannot afford.

There are already approximately 130 data centers in New York state. Many of them are located near disadvantaged communities, a designation shared by the area around STAMP. A data center at STAMP would represent a grave environmental injustice, unnecessarily waste precious energy and water resources of our Great Lakes bioregion, and negatively impact quality of life for all residents of the area.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, whose mandate is to protect our shared natural resources and shared environment, is currently considering GCEDC’s application to serve as lead agency in the SEQRA environmental review process for Project Hydroscale. This must not be allowed. The developer, GCEDC, is not capable of carrying out a rigorous and meaningful environmental review process for their own prospective tenant.

Evelyn Wackett

Wildlife Rehabilitation Specialist

Buffalo