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New York’s biggest data center could steamroll a tiny town that tried to stop it
A small Western New York town of roughly 1,800 people is suddenly at the center of one of the biggest fights created by America’s AI boom. In Alabama, New York, a proposed data center would bring 2.2 million square feet of facilities, three massive buildings and an estimated $19.5 billion investment to the STAMP industrial park. At full buildout, the developer says the project could require around 500 megawatts of electricity.
New York hit the brakes, but Alabama still has a decision to make
In July, Gov. Kathy Hochul issued an executive order pausing certain state environmental approvals for new hyperscale data centers requiring at least 50 megawatts while New York studies their impact on electricity, water and surrounding communities. But Alabama Town Supervisor Rob Crossen says that does not eliminate the town’s legal obligation to process Stream U.S. Data Centers’ local application. “The governor’s executive order changes nothing as far as our statutory requirements to act,” Crossen said this month. The state pause expressly leaves local approvals outside its scope, according to Crossen’s reading of the order.
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The scale is difficult to ignore
Stream’s current proposal calls for a campus covering roughly 90 acres and drawing up to 500 MW at full buildout. The project is expected to create about 125 permanent jobs, while its developer has sought a tax-incentive package valued at roughly $1.4 billion. Those numbers have made the project particularly contentious: supporters see an enormous private investment in a rural part of New York, while opponents question whether the permanent employment and economic benefits justify the project’s infrastructure and environmental footprint.
And the fight is bigger than electricity
The proposed campus sits next to the territory of the Tonawanda Seneca Nation and near wildlife areas, adding concerns over water, noise, land use and the character of the surrounding community. The Nation, the Sierra Club and a Town of Alabama resident have also challenged the zoning arrangement underlying development at STAMP in court. The data center itself remains proposed, not approved or under construction. What happens next will depend on separate local and state processes, but Alabama officials say their part of that process cannot simply be put on hold because Albany hit pause.
