Environmental activists, local advocacy organizations and members of the Tonawanda Seneca Nation gathered outside the Buffalo Irish Center Thursday evening to protest controversial plans tied to large-scale data center development in Western New York, which include the divisive STAMP Industrial Park site in Genesee County.
The demonstration unfolded while Governor Kathy Hochul attended a political fundraiser inside the South Buffalo venue, creating a sharp contrast between wealthy political donors indoors and protesters gathered outside warning about what they described as major environmental, energy and community concerns connected to the future of massive data center projects across New York State.
Organizers of the protest called for a statewide moratorium on new data center development for at least three years and argued that the rapid push to expand such facilities could place enormous strain on power infrastructure, water resources and surrounding communities…