This coverage is made possible through a partnership between BPR and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization.
Emotions were high Wednesday night at a public hearing where the town of Canton's Board of Aldermen passed a 12-month moratorium on new data center development, server farms, and cryptocurrency mining.
The hearing was more preventative than reactive. It was prompted by inquiries from out-of-town companies about using the site of the town’s decommissioned paper mill for data centers. There are no concrete plans for the paper mill site yet.
According to Canton mayor Zeb Smathers, attendance at town meetings is usually a handful of people who can easily fit in the town hall space. Smathers, the Board of Aldermen, and local law enforcement instead found themselves commanding a crowd of at least a hundred. Dozens who couldn’t fit in the tight space remained outside in the cold, listening to the meeting blare from a speaker.
Many attending expressed concern about energy and water use. Tabbitha Ross, a farmer from Jonathan’s Creek, worried that water use would affect agriculture in the county. She recalled previous instances of the paper mill’s water use interrupting the town’s supply. Researchers say a typical data center can use 300,000 to 5 million gallons of water per day.
“So, if the mill didn't have enough water to run,” Ross asked, “then how is this center going to have enough water to run?”
Other members of the public spoke to the economic hardship left after the closure of the mill and the loss of over 1,000 jobs., They expressed concern that the data center might not provide a full replacement for those jobs. According to reporting by the Wall Street Journal, data centers may employ up to a hundred permanent jobs in total, with more short-lived gigs possible for construction.
“We need something, some type of light industry or some type of business that's going to generate jobs,” said Anthony Rickman, a former mill worker and member of United Steelworkers Local 507.
The board unanimously passed the resolution, with all giving speeches that alluded to the town’s industrial past. Alderman Ralph Hamlett recalled that the old Pigeon River in the paper mill days was dark and polluted, with pieces of white foam on it.
“We know now the massive cleanup required at the former mill site and mitigation necessary to make that land safe again,” Hamblett said. “Hindsight is 20-20.”
For the Canton town board and mayor Smathers, the moratorium is a moment for the town to sit back, take a breath, and think about the path forward, one he hopes combines environmental stewardship with economic prosperity. This decision comes as the town is working on longer-term zoning and economic development plans for its post-paper mill future.
“We want to make the highest and best use of our resources,” Smathers told the assembled crowd. “The post-mill Canton only gets a few chances to get what our future looks like right. We want to be able to re-craft our decisions in the interim.”
The 12-month moratorium will apply to the processing and acceptance of permit applications related to data centers, server farms, and cryptocurrency mines.
According to Smathers, the town will use the intervening year to carefully assess their options and research potential ordinances to limit new data center development.
