Ferguson Discusses Statewide Pause on Hyperscale Data Centers

Fredonia Mayor Mike Ferguson says he understands the need for hyper speed when it comes to the United States catching up to the rest of the world on artificial intelligence. However, he believes Governor Kathy Hochul's decision to put a one-year pause on issuing permits for large-scale data centers in New York is a responsible one. Ferguson, who participated in a roundtable on Hochul's data center moratorium this week, spoke more about the issue on WDOE's "Viewpoint" program on Thursday. He says he wants to see what companies emerge as the top ones for AI...

Mike Ferguson: let the process play out

When asked if he would be open to supporting a data center being located in northern Chautauqua County, Ferguson said he would "go to bat for it" if it's clean, environmentally safe, and something residents want. He cautioned, though, about doing it "for an easy buck"...

Mike Ferguson: don't want it to be a "Dollar General" move

During this week's roundtable, Ferguson mentioned that there were questions and concerns about impacts a data center would have on the environment and infrastructure. Currently, an Oregon-based company is proposing to build a data center on a former golf course in the Town of Portland. That has drawn backlash from numerous town residents.

Click here to listen to the full "Viewpoint" interview with Mike Ferguson.

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