Plattsburgh, New York is considering a moratorium on cryptocurrency mining and AI data centers

The town of Plattsburgh, New York, held a public hearing to discuss a temporary land use moratorium on "high energy consumption computing facilities" such as cryptocurrency mining and AI data centers. If the proposal is approved, it will pause the approval of related operational applications that consume 300 kilowatts or more for 12 months. As of Tuesday, the mayor has not yet approved the moratorium, and the city council plans to meet again on September 17.

Plattsburgh is one of the first areas in the United States to implement a ban on Bitcoin mining, having enacted an 18-month moratorium in 2018 due to residents' concerns about electricity costs. Now, with rising mining difficulty, increasing electricity costs, and falling token prices, many cryptocurrency mining companies have turned to AI and high-performance computing, prompting local governments to reconsider restrictions on high energy consumption facilities.