The Micron Megafab project faces a new hurdle as activists seek a benefits deal

days after micron After breaking ground on a $100 billion chip factory in New York state, a coalition of environmentalists, labor unions and civil rights groups are urging the US tech giant to sign an agreement that would make a series of legally enforceable promises to be a good neighbor.

Memory chip producer Micron Megafab is on track to become the largest commercial development in the state’s history The largest chip manufacturing complex in the country. Officials held a groundbreaking ceremony in Clay City, near Syracuse, last Friday. The first chips could arrive within five years, although the entire site will not be finished for 20 years.

Organizers and members of the Central New York United for Community Benefits coalition — which consists of about 25 mostly local advocacy groups — tell WIRED they welcome the project. They also appreciate that Micron has already pledged to hire locally and address some of the physical and social impacts of its construction. But coalition members believe oversight is nonexistent and that Micron can get away with polluting the environment and worsening the economic situation in the region. economic Inequality.

“We want to have commitments that are real, strong, transparent and enforceable,” says Anna Smith, a senior researcher at Jobs to Move America, a national union-friendly nonprofit that is helping organize the coalition.

Wednesday, The coalition posted a message It was emailed to Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra inviting him to meet and begin negotiations on what is known as a community benefits agreement, which would codify the company’s pledges on employment, environmental protection and domestic investment.

Micron did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter.

Companies like Micron are not obligated to make deals with community groups. But the New York coalition is building its campaign on similar efforts by other American organizations. Some of them have successfully lobbied for large construction projects, e.g airport and Bus factoryin signing contracts to invest in schools, build affordable housing, conduct more environmental studies, or buy locally. Most importantly, these agreements can be enforced through the courts.

Supporters of the agreements say making deals can help companies neutralize opposition and pave a smoother path to construction, hiring and continued integration into society. Provisions can include oversight committees and annual public reports. Database compiled by Columbia Law School He appears Dozens of benefit agreements for major projects over the past decade.

“We have seen such agreements negotiated by companies with coalitions like ours across the country become win-wins, as employers, workers, and community organizations work together to ensure the needs of all parties are met,” the New York coalition wrote in the letter to Micron.

She added that the comprehensive agreement “will further deliver on Micron’s commitments to being a good neighbor” and ensure that promises of good faith “translate into tangible, measurable benefits.”

Building more chips in the US is A national security priorityThe Micron project enjoys bipartisan support. But it comes in time The fab is huge and Data centers They receive Unprecedented public scrutinydriven largely by their large consumption of water and electricity.

Amid the decline, some projects have already been implemented Abandoned or He was transferred. New York coalition organizers believe Micron’s campaign, if it leads to an agreement, could be a model for winning concessions even as development moves forward. “This project could be done well,” Smith says. “Let’s get to the finish line together.”

Seeking commitment

Alliance members include environmental advocates Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter and SustainCNY; racial justice groups, the Urban Jobs Task Force and the Syracuse branch of the NAACP; and labor organizations including Local 320 of the IUE-CWA, a union representing factory workers.

They focused on Micron in part because of the public support its project could eventually garner.Up to $25 billion. The company’s promise to hire 9,000 people has built support, but some in the community still worry about the trade-offs. One of the aggravating points was that the local authorities as well Displacement of a 91-year-old grandmother From its 60-year-old home to make room for Micron.