Hance’s neighbors and community members who helped organize an unsuccessful lawsuit over the plant gather on the sidewalk.

They share anecdotes — a neighbor’s dog that moved where it sleeps, young children who can’t rest, a new pool that will be less enjoyable with the loud noise — and discuss strategies to fix the problem. They talked about a nuisance lawsuit or the company building a berm.

Digihost, based in Toronto, plans to build a barrier to block some of the noise from the plant, with a design change in the works currently pausing construction.

“The plant in North Tonawanda continues to advance through the NYS bureaucratic process,” Digihost counsel Nick Williams said in a statement. “While we go through that process, we continue to comply with all state and local laws and ordinances, including noise ordinances. We carefully monitor noise levels everyday and work with city officials to verify measurements and ensure compliance.”

The Fortistar plant emitted more carbon dioxide in the first three months of 2022 than in the previous two years combined, according to EPA data. The plant has typically run only in the summer months to supply electricity to the grid.

The company had been scouting other potential sites in New York, but the moratorium puts that into question. They also operate a mining operation at a former American Axle plant in Buffalo.

The North Tonawanda plant in Niagara County meets DEC emissions regulations, according to the company. The plant’s Title V air permit, which addresses emission standards, expired last year and an application for a renewal has been submitted in a timely manner, according to DEC.

That permit review will also pose a test for the state’s application of the climate law, similar to Greenidge’s…