The former Greenidge crypto mining plant in Dresden, right on the shore of Seneca Lake, wants to become an AI data center. Now operating as Vulcan Infrastructure and Power, the site would switch from mining cryptocurrency to what the company calls “high-performance computing,” according to a statement from Greenidge’s president reported by News10NBC. Before that happens, the Torrey Town Board should pass a moratorium on new data centers and give residents real answers.

Neighbors in the Town of Torrey already live with the plant’s noise. Local resident Leah Murray compared it to an idling train and told News10NBC, “It’s constant. It just is always there.” Residents have also raised worries about emissions, water use and what a bigger operation could mean for the farms and homes outside the village.

The Seneca Lake Pure Waters Association, a nonprofit that works to keep the lake clean, wants a study of the environmental impacts first. Board president Bill Roege has said the project would need major electrical upgrades, and that its effects on wildlife could depend on design choices like cooling systems and low-frequency noise. According to Roege, the site is being set up as a shell that could later be leased to a big tech company, so the public may not know who would run it or how.

Seneca Lake supports wineries, tourism, wildlife and family farms across the Finger Lakes. A decision this big should not move forward without a full environmental review and open public hearings.

The Torrey Town Board has the power to hit pause. Sign the petition to call on the board to pass a data center moratorium and protect Seneca Lake while there is still time to get this right.