North Tonawanda, NY (WBEN) - The City of North Tonawanda on Tuesday extended its moratorium on crypto mining and data center development for another year.
A previous two-year moratorium was set to expire next month, but the extension approved yesterday now halts efforts by DigiPower X to turn their crypto mining facility on Erie Avenue into a data center.
"Within this year period, this extension, we are reviewing city-wide zoning code updates," North Tonawanda Mayor Austin Tylec told WBEN. "We're looking at the city as a whole. It's been decades since we've updated those zoning codes."
Tylec said the moratorium does include an "Extraordinary Hardship" provision that would allow Digihost X to apply to the city to convert during the next 12 months.
The company previously presented plans to the City Council to convert their crypto-mining operation at the former Fortistar power plant into a data center operation. Since the company started operating in 2022, it has been the target of numerous protests from residents over the noise and other pollution the plant has created.
