New York Governor Signs Nation's First Statewide Data Center Moratorium

New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed an executive order Tuesday enacting a one-year pause on the development of hyperscale data centers, effecting the nation's first statewide data center moratorium. The executive order comes as opposition to data center construction sweeps across the country, putting elected officials under intense pressure to take action.

The order specifically pauses state environmental reviews for facilities utilizing more than 50 megawatts for a year. It instructs the New York Department of Public Service to assess the environmental and energy impact of data centers during this time, and to develop a new generic environmental impact statement, a general permitting process for complex environmental issues that may arise with data centers that want to build in the state. Hochul is also proposing an end to all tax incentives for data centers.

"We have no choice but to address the challenges created by these massive facilities," Hochul said at a press conference in New York City on Tuesday. The pause, she said, would give New York the chance to create the "strongest possible framework to protect our communities."

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