New York town weighs crypto mining and AI data center ban

The town of Plattsburgh in New York is considering a temporary 12-month land use moratorium aimed at high-energy computing facilities, including artificial intelligence data centers and cryptocurrency mining operations. Mayor Wendell Hughes and the common council convened a public hearing to review the proposed Local Law P-2, which seeks to halt approvals for commercial facilities requiring 300 kilowatts or more of electrical power. The council is scheduled to conduct a follow-up meeting on September 17. Plattsburgh was among the first jurisdictions in the United States to implement a formal 18-month ban on Bitcoin mining back in 2018, prompted by residential backlash over soaring electricity consumption and power costs. The renewed regulatory scrutiny emerges as numerous digital asset mining companies adapt business models toward AI and high-performance computing to mitigate rising operational expenses and network difficulty.