Communities Fear the Toll of Data Centers Built to Handle Astronomical Growth of Artificial Intelligence ->New York State Bar Association | More info at BigEarthData.ai | #Data #ArtificialIntelligence
Communities Fear the Toll of Data Centers Built to Handle Astronomical Growth of Artificial Intelligence7.30.2026 By Rebecca Melnitsky Activists and residents are questioning whether the construction of data centers to power artificial intelligence will make the cost of utilities spiral out of control. The New York State Bar Association hosted a seminar to discuss these concerns and Gov. Kathy Hochul’s executive order placing a one-year moratorium on new data centers. The panelists were: Amanda Garcia, senior attorney and data center project leader at the Southern Environmental Law Center. Raya Salter, adjunct professor at Cardozo School of Law and founder and director of the Energy Justice Law and Policy Center. Nayyirah Shariff, director of Flint Rising, a coalition of Flint, Michigan, residents that formed in response to the city’s water crisis. Chandra Taylor-Sawyer, senior attorney and environmental justice initiative leader at the Southern Environmental Law Center, led the discussion. “So, the first concern that I hear about every day is transparency,” Garcia said. “Just knowing the scale of the data center project, how much water and power it is going to use, where those resources are going to come from, and what potential effects they may have on the community that lives nearby… The biggest concerns we hear about are energy affordability – how is...nysba.org