I love my neighborhood, I love my city, and I cannot stand by as they poison the air and water with the construction of a data center. The proposed data center threatens our community with increased pollution, disruption of our already distributed environment, and potential health hazards that accompany such massive infrastructures. It is well established that the people that live by data centers suffer severe health consequences and I do not want that for myself or my neighbors. 

Our neighborhood is a place of historical value and modern redemption, and a sense of community is palpable. The people of the South end are taking a place that was previously owned by the Schuyler family and living out their lives, with freedom and autonomy that the Schuyler family would not have granted, reclaiming the pain and abuses that have happened on this land. The construction of a colossal data center in our midst not only risks the historical heritage of the South End, but also the health and welfare of any resident of the city of Albany. Mount Hope has already been severed from connection to our city by the building of 787, but how also faces abuses proven to be a detriment to human and environmental health. The Normanskill is already a water body that endures more abuses than it should, it is unacceptable to propose adding more abuse. The hudson river has healed much since the passage of the clean water act, but the thermal pollution from returned cooling water risks further degradation to this already fragile ecosystem. 

Data centers, notorious for their substantial energy consumption and massive cooling systems, are known to contribute significantly to carbon emissions and environmental degradation. According to the International Energy Agency, data centers globally consume about 1% of the world's electricity and contribute 0.3% of all global CO2 emissions. Bringing such a facility into our community poses grave environmental risks that we cannot ignore.

Moreover, the inevitable noise and traffic from construction operations and the facility itself will invade our daily lives and disrupt the peace that the people of Albany deserve. Not to mention the potential decline in property values that typically accompanies industrial developments. 

The cost of electricity is already out of control and projected to continue increasing. This project would only worsen that burden on the people of Albany and the Capital Region as a whole. 

We deserve better for our homes and our environment than to become a host for technological expansion only benefiting a select few at the expense of many. The people of the South End will not benefit from the construction of the proposed data center. The people of Albany will not benefit. We will sacrifice our health and well-being for the greed of a select few.

We need to advocate for clean technologies that consider the health and well-being of all citizens. The city has been experiencing decline for decades, and this is not the solution. Investments should prioritize economic growth in a way that does not sacrifice the well-being of its people.

Join me in fighting for our city's safety, health, and preservation. Together, we can demand that our local officials and the data center developers reconsider this proposal. Sign this petition to stop the construction of the data center in our beloved neighborhood and protect the legacy we wish to leave for future generations.