New York town weighs crypto mining and AI data center ban

The town of Plattsburgh in New York state held a public hearing to discuss a temporary land use moratorium for operations including AI data centers and crypto mining.

In a Thursday hearing, Plattsburgh Mayor Wendell Hughes and the common council heard from members of the public about a law proposed to impose a short-term ban on land use related to “certain high energy computing facilities,” including cryptocurrency mining and artificial intelligence. The moratorium, if passed, would halt approvals for operations requiring 300 or more kilowatts (kW) for 12 months.

As of Tuesday, reports signaled that the mayor had not approved the moratorium. The council is scheduled to hold another meeting on Sept. 17.

Plattsburgh was one of the first jurisdictions in the United States to outright ban Bitcoin (BTC) mining in response to residents’ concerns about the cost of electricity. Passed in 2018, the moratorium lasted 18 months.

Many crypto mining companies have pivoted their operations to focus on AI and high-performance computing amid difficulty, rising power costs and falling token prices.