The Town of Danby has taken a proactive step towards reducing its carbon footprint by banning data centers and cryptocurrency mining facilities within its jurisdiction.
At an April 7 meeting, the town board passed amendments to the zoning code that defined data centers and cryptocurrency mining facilities, effectively prohibiting them from operating in any existing zone. This decision was made in response to concerns over environmental impacts, which have been a growing concern for residents in recent years.
The definition of what constitutes a data center includes any building or structure that uses half a megawatt hour or more per day for digital data storage and operations. The board also clarified the definition by adding this specific threshold, ensuring that small businesses with multiple servers will not be affected.
In addition to updating its zoning law, the town passed a resolution supporting a bill in the New York state senate that would impose a statewide moratorium on issuing permits for new data centers. This move aims to address concerns over data center power and water consumption, which have been raised by local residents and officials.