Brown warns data centers threaten power, bills, and safety in Syracuse

A small bus with a blunt warning rolled through Syracuse’s north side as Onondaga County lawmakers and environmental advocates argued that new data centers could push up power demand, household bills, and public risk. Maurice Brown said residents should not be asked to trust developers alone, adding, “We have to trust the experts because the data centers are way too dangerous to be left unchecked.”

The Syracuse stop came on April 17 as part of NYPIRG’s statewide “Energy Hog” bus tour, which began in Buffalo the day before and was set to continue to Albany, Kingston and New York City. Organizers said the campaign was aimed at cracking down on AI data centers and fully enforcing New York’s 2019 Climate Law. They said the facilities could increase electricity costs, air pollution and clean-water use, turning a technology boom into a local burden for ratepayers and host communities.

Alex Bornemisza, NYPIRG’s Western New York regional coordinator, called data centers “energy hogs” and said they strain the grid while driving up utility prices. Nicole Watts, identified in the local report as an Onondaga County legislator, said residents have already seen an “astronomical hike” in heating, cooling and energy bills. The tour was backed by NYPIRG, PUSH Buffalo and the Sierra Club, and advocates used the Syracuse event to press Governor Kathy Hochul and state leaders to act before more facilities are approved.

Not every expert at the Syracuse stop argued for a shutdown. Syracuse University mechanical and aerospace engineering professor Dr. Bing Dong said data center construction is inevitable and that New York should prepare by investing in renewable energy and battery storage. That approach puts the policy choice in sharper focus for Onondaga County: whether the region can absorb more high-load industrial projects without worsening costs, or whether officials should slow approvals until the grid and safeguards catch up.

The fight is already moving in Albany. New York State Senate bill S9144, introduced February 6, would impose a moratorium on new data center permits and direct the Public Service Commission to minimize the impact on electricity and gas rates for residential, commercial and industrial users. A separate bill, S9960, would regulate data center energy use, require annual disclosure reporting and create a community discount plan for higher energy costs in host communities.

Advocates pointed to the scale of the projects now under discussion. A report tied to the tour said data centers of the proposed Tonawanda size are estimated at 300 megawatts and typically employ about 100 workers. That tradeoff is now central in Onondaga County: promised investment on one side, and on the other side the power demand, water use, land use and public oversight that residents will have to live with if the projects move forward.