New York becomes the first state to impose a data center moratorium

Yahoo ^ | 07/14/2026

[devane617]

New York became the first U.S. state on Tuesday to halt construction of large new data centers, imposing a one-year moratorium as concerns grow that the facilities driving the artificial-intelligence boom ‌are raising power costs, straining water supplies and burdening local communities.

The moratorium positions New York at the forefront of ‌a growing national debate over how to manage the infrastructure needed to support artificial intelligence. While technology companies are racing to build new data centers, lawmakers ​and regulators in dozens of states are weighing measures to limit their effect on electricity grids, utility bills and local communities.

"As data center development threatens to hike up utility bills, deplete our natural resources, and create uncertainty for New Yorkers, it's my responsibility to take action and lead," said Hochul, who said she will also pursue legislation to repeal sales tax exemptions for large data centers.

The construction ban ‌will apply to data centers that use 50 ⁠megawatts or more of power, officials in the governor's office said.

---

TOPICS: Government; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; US: New York
KEYWORDS: data; datacenter; datacenters; moratorium; nutty; surveillance; surveillancecenter

[devane617]

Just say Trannies and use any bathroom and they will get built.

[bert]

Saving Face

Rather than admit that no company wants to set up their data center in New York it is better to outlaw them

[Opinionated Blowhard]

raising power costs, straining water supplies and burdening local communities.

What is raising power costs, straining water supplies and burdening local communities is New York's insane regulatory environment, "Green" policies, corruption and extremely long permitting process to build anything, coupled with a legal system that makes it easy for advocacy groups to sue to stop any power or utility from being built. But hey, Oceana is at war with Eastasia - look at that instead of the real issue.

[Lurker]

Bingo.

L

[Codeflier]

States with new data centers should add a surcharge for anyone using them from a state that “bans” them.

[jeffersondem]

Banning data center investments should snap New York out of its economic problems.

[butlerweave]

data centers should provide their own power and when they go bust the power generation belongs to the people around it

[SunkenCiv]

Smart move. Same goes for their ban on natural gas appliances and trunk lines. Oh, and defunding police. And electing socialists and jihadists.

[bobbo666]

NIMBY run wild. Someone probably told the commie trash arseholes running NYork that Jews were behind the datacenters’ crappola.

There is nothing keeping any new factory from being required to build their own power generation. Ditto for their having to kool the center without wasting water. Oh, and quit being an idiot about water — it is not wasted if it is run thru a cooling tower.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Seven years ago, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez stopped Amazon from building a second headquarters in Queens, New York.

Hochul learned the anti-business posture well from her idol AOC.

NYS is hopeless. I lived there when I was a kid through age 16. My first memories of politics were around age 12 or 13 when dad and his buddies were complaining at a family BBQ about how bad Albany was and how much of their taxes from upstate went to NYC. That was around 1963!

[Doctor Congo]

The world’s biggest data center is going to be built in rural Ohio but they are building their own power plant. The problem is that it will use 1/3 of Ohio’s production of natural gas. The price of natural gas is going to go way up.

[mewzilla]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

Easy to pontificate when nobody in their right mind would cite one here without one mother of a bribe.

Running out of other people’s money, Albany...?

And then there’s our shoddy electricity grid and our corrupt utility companies...

There’s not a big enough bribe to get a company to cite here, is there...

[mewzilla]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

Easy to pontificate when nobody in their right mind would cite one here without one mother of a bribe.

Running out of other people’s money, Albany...?

And then there’s our shoddy electricity grid and our corrupt utility companies...

There’s not a big enough bribe to get a company to cite here, is there...

[Socon-Econ]

Data centers improve internet service and create jobs. Rather than ban them, the state should be enacting ways to allow them as long as: (1) they pay their own way concerning power and water use and any needed transportation improvements; and (2) they are not subsidized by tax breaks.

[KingofZion]

There is an easy solution here: all AI platforms should ban NY residents from using their platforms (just as gambling apps are disabled based on geolocation).

I bet the state legislators would reverse course in a NY minute

[AppyPappy]

Outlawing data centers while using them.

[Resolute Conservative]

They want them just not in their own state. Typical elitist BS.

[Organic Panic]

Awesome. Get all business out of New York.

[fhayek]

I came here to basically say what you said. I will amplify that New York has banned natural gas in any new built houses. All heat (and it does get cold in New York), and appliances have to run on electricity. Couple that with policies favoring electric cars AND being only able to generate electricity using 'green' technology, and electric rates are already through the roof. But, yeah, data centers are the cause.

At least data centers have the potential to provide some measure of economic growth - in contrast to New York's insane energy policies.

[spincaster]

They don’t even cool them with water anymore. They are past that .