Plattsburgh Weighs New Moratorium on High-Energy Computing Facilities

The town of Plattsburgh in New York state is considering imposing a temporary ban on land use related to high-energy computing facilities, including cryptocurrency mining and AI data centers. The proposal would halt approvals for operations requiring over 300 kilowatts (kW) for 12 months.

In response to residents' concerns about electricity costs, Plattsburgh was one of the first jurisdictions in the US to ban Bitcoin (BTC) mining in 2018. However, that moratorium only lasted 18 months before being lifted.

Many crypto mining companies have shifted their focus to AI and high-performance computing due to difficulties, rising power costs, and falling token prices.