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<\/p>\n![\"Kathy](\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/07\/14\/multimedia\/14met-data-centers-01-hkql\/14met-data-centers-01-hkql-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale\")
<\/picture><\/div>\nGov. Kathy Hochul of New York has backed artificial intelligence as a tool for research and good governance, but said innovation must be balanced with public benefit.<\/span>Credit…<\/span>Cindy Schultz for The New York Times<\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n\n\n\nBy\u00a0Grace Ashford<\/p>\n
Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York is set to sign an executive order on Tuesday placing a one-year pause on the construction of the largest data centers, putting the state at the forefront of the national debate over artificial intelligence companies\u2019 impact on American landscapes and energy grids.<\/p>\n
The order, the first of its kind to be enacted in the United States, will temporarily bar the state from approving permits for so-called hyperscale data centers, which use 50 or more megawatts of power to operate. During the pause, New York will develop a regulatory framework for assessing how these behemoth projects affect the environment.<\/p>\n
A farther-reaching moratorium\u00a0passed the State Legislature<\/a>\u00a0last month, prompting questions about whether Ms. Hochul, who has\u00a0championed artificial intelligence<\/a>\u00a0as a tool for research and\u00a0good governance<\/a>, would be supportive. Ms. Hochul has not yet signed the bill, but said she will continue to consider it.<\/p>\nIn a statement, Ms. Hochul stressed the importance of balancing innovation with public benefit.<\/p>\n
\u201cNew York will lead the way in creating the strongest standards in the nation for data center development, ensuring that when companies succeed because of New York, New Yorkers succeed too,\u201d said the governor, a Democrat who is seeking re-election this year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n\nThe order will take effect immediately. It is not expected to affect the data demands of back-office financial services, hospitals or universities.<\/p>\n
A recent Gallup poll<\/a>\u00a0showed that Republicans and Democrats alike\u00a0oppose data center construction<\/a>, citing the facilities\u2019 rapacious demand for water and energy at a time when electricity costs are rising.<\/p>\nPresident Trump has sought to stymie the backlash against data centers,\u00a0obtaining a pledge<\/a>\u00a0from tech companies that they will pay for the cost of their own energy, while encouraging development more broadly.<\/p>\nThat approach has led to a Wild West atmosphere, with companies racing to build\u00a0as many as 1,500 new data centers<\/a>\u00a0across the country, from former tobacco fields in Virginia to Native American land along the Columbia River in Washington.<\/p>\nThe boom has sparked dozens of moratorium proposals at the state and federal level. In March,\u00a0the Seminole Nation passed a complete moratorium<\/a>, barring development on the tribe\u2019s lands in Oklahoma. In Maine, the State Legislature\u00a0passed<\/a>\u00a0the country\u2019s first statewide moratorium, but it was\u00a0vetoed<\/a> by Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, in April.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\nOther Democratic governors, including\u00a0Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Gavin Newsom of California<\/a>, have also weighed in on the side of Big Tech, citing the economic opportunities the projects might bring to states still suffering from deindustrialization.<\/p>\nInitially it appeared that Ms. Hochul, a pro-business moderate from Buffalo, might fall into the same camp. She had previously said the matter ought to be left to localities, leading some to worry she might veto the moratorium passed by Democrats in Albany.<\/p>\n
But the demands of the moment prompted Ms. Hochul to weigh in, she said in her statement: \u201cAs data center development threatens to hike up utility bills, deplete our natural resources and create uncertainty for New Yorkers, it\u2019s my responsibility to take action and lead.\u201d<\/p>\n
There has been considerable speculation about the tension between Ms. Hochul\u2019s embrace of artificial intelligence and the state\u2019s goals to reduce emissions under its far-reaching 2019 climate law.<\/p>\n
New York is\u00a0not on track<\/a>\u00a0to meet those goals, though a legislative\u00a0change to accounting methodology<\/a>, backed by Ms. Hochul, will bring them closer. In the announcement of the executive order on Tuesday, officials said that during the pause on large-scale data center projects, the state would analyze the potential effects of those projects on water and air quality, as well as energy demand.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\nIt is this latter concern that particularly haunts leaders ahead of the midterm elections, as gas prices and utility bills are skyrocketing. Earlier this year, Ms. Hochul took the first steps toward requiring data centers to either provide their own energy \u2014 by building on sites that already have power-generating equipment \u2014 or to pay a premium to buy from the grid. Those rules are expected to be in effect within the next year.<\/p>\n
When the moratorium is lifted, localities will be free to pursue their own agreements with companies, according to state officials. But the state will provide a framework for those negotiations to empower governments to push for concessions from the companies, like investments in local infrastructure and agreements that projects be built with union labor.<\/p>\n
The moratorium will not delay projects that already have all the required permits, but will place a hold on those still requiring approval.<\/p>\n
The broader bill that was passed by the Legislature would bar projects that use 20 megawatts or more, and would institute energy efficiency standards for projects larger than one megawatt, requiring them to use almost entirely renewable energy by 2050.<\/p>\n
Hochul administration officials said that the governor had issued the order for the sake of expediency but that she would continue to review the legislation and any amendments with the bill\u2019s sponsors.<\/p>\n
By\u00a0Grace Ashford<\/p>\n
Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York is set to sign an executive order on Tuesday placing a one-year pause on the construction of the largest data centers, putting the state at the forefront of the national debate over artificial intelligence companies\u2019 impact on American landscapes and energy grids.<\/p>\n
The order, the first of its kind to be enacted in the United States, will temporarily bar the state from approving permits for so-called hyperscale data centers, which use 50 or more megawatts of power to operate. During the pause, New York will develop a regulatory framework for assessing how these behemoth projects affect the environment.<\/p>\n
A farther-reaching moratorium\u00a0passed the State Legislature<\/a>\u00a0last month, prompting questions about whether Ms. Hochul, who has\u00a0championed artificial intelligence<\/a>\u00a0as a tool for research and\u00a0good governance<\/a>, would be supportive. Ms. Hochul has not yet signed the bill, but said she will continue to consider it.<\/p>\n In a statement, Ms. Hochul stressed the importance of balancing innovation with public benefit.<\/p>\n \u201cNew York will lead the way in creating the strongest standards in the nation for data center development, ensuring that when companies succeed because of New York, New Yorkers succeed too,\u201d said the governor, a Democrat who is seeking re-election this year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The order will take effect immediately. It is not expected to affect the data demands of back-office financial services, hospitals or universities.<\/p>\n A recent Gallup poll<\/a>\u00a0showed that Republicans and Democrats alike\u00a0oppose data center construction<\/a>, citing the facilities\u2019 rapacious demand for water and energy at a time when electricity costs are rising.<\/p>\n President Trump has sought to stymie the backlash against data centers,\u00a0obtaining a pledge<\/a>\u00a0from tech companies that they will pay for the cost of their own energy, while encouraging development more broadly.<\/p>\n That approach has led to a Wild West atmosphere, with companies racing to build\u00a0as many as 1,500 new data centers<\/a>\u00a0across the country, from former tobacco fields in Virginia to Native American land along the Columbia River in Washington.<\/p>\n The boom has sparked dozens of moratorium proposals at the state and federal level. In March,\u00a0the Seminole Nation passed a complete moratorium<\/a>, barring development on the tribe\u2019s lands in Oklahoma. In Maine, the State Legislature\u00a0passed<\/a>\u00a0the country\u2019s first statewide moratorium, but it was\u00a0vetoed<\/a> by Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, in April.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Other Democratic governors, including\u00a0Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Gavin Newsom of California<\/a>, have also weighed in on the side of Big Tech, citing the economic opportunities the projects might bring to states still suffering from deindustrialization.<\/p>\n Initially it appeared that Ms. Hochul, a pro-business moderate from Buffalo, might fall into the same camp. She had previously said the matter ought to be left to localities, leading some to worry she might veto the moratorium passed by Democrats in Albany.<\/p>\n But the demands of the moment prompted Ms. Hochul to weigh in, she said in her statement: \u201cAs data center development threatens to hike up utility bills, deplete our natural resources and create uncertainty for New Yorkers, it\u2019s my responsibility to take action and lead.\u201d<\/p>\n There has been considerable speculation about the tension between Ms. Hochul\u2019s embrace of artificial intelligence and the state\u2019s goals to reduce emissions under its far-reaching 2019 climate law.<\/p>\n New York is\u00a0not on track<\/a>\u00a0to meet those goals, though a legislative\u00a0change to accounting methodology<\/a>, backed by Ms. Hochul, will bring them closer. In the announcement of the executive order on Tuesday, officials said that during the pause on large-scale data center projects, the state would analyze the potential effects of those projects on water and air quality, as well as energy demand.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n It is this latter concern that particularly haunts leaders ahead of the midterm elections, as gas prices and utility bills are skyrocketing. Earlier this year, Ms. Hochul took the first steps toward requiring data centers to either provide their own energy \u2014 by building on sites that already have power-generating equipment \u2014 or to pay a premium to buy from the grid. Those rules are expected to be in effect within the next year.<\/p>\n When the moratorium is lifted, localities will be free to pursue their own agreements with companies, according to state officials. But the state will provide a framework for those negotiations to empower governments to push for concessions from the companies, like investments in local infrastructure and agreements that projects be built with union labor.<\/p>\n The moratorium will not delay projects that already have all the required permits, but will place a hold on those still requiring approval.<\/p>\n The broader bill that was passed by the Legislature would bar projects that use 20 megawatts or more, and would institute energy efficiency standards for projects larger than one megawatt, requiring them to use almost entirely renewable energy by 2050.<\/p>\n Hochul administration officials said that the governor had issued the order for the sake of expediency but that she would continue to review the legislation and any amendments with the bill\u2019s sponsors.<\/p>\n