The New York governor is wading into a thorny political issue amid environmental and energy use concerns.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul will enact the first statewide pause in the US on data centers. I ❤️ NY!
Gov. Kathy Hochul is enacting the nation’s first state-level moratorium on large-scale data center construction amid concerns over the impact of the facilities meant to support artificial intelligence. The move, being implemented through an executive order Hochul will sign Tuesday, pauses construction permits for up to one year so that state officials can create a regulatory plan addressing energy and environmental issues. [ ... ] The moratorium, which would likely run past Hochul’s November election, has been contemplated since at least last month, when POLITICO first reported the governor was weighing a data center construction pause through executive order. Permits that have already been issued for projects will not be impacted. There will be some exceptions for facilities that generally use less power and are built for research, education and health care purposes, Hochul’s office said. The governor also wants to work with state lawmakers to eliminate sales tax subsidies for data centers when they return to Albany in January — something that requires legislative action.
Gov. Hochul has been more progressive than many people expected when she first became governor upon the resignation of Andrew Cuomo.
