The New York State Legislature passed the Responsible Data Center Development Act (S10642) on June 5, 2026, imposing a one-year moratorium on the siting, construction, or commencement of operations of data centers rated 20 megawatts and larger, per Earthjustice. Governor Kathy Hochul has not yet signed the bill; her spokeswoman said she 'will review' it, per Inside Climate News. At the federal level, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) introduced the AI Data Center Moratorium Act on March 25, 2026, which would halt construction of new or upgraded data centers over 20 MW nationally until 'strong national safeguards' are in place. Per a February 2026 Sanders statement, the senator cited expert concern that AI 'could soon become smarter than humans and escape human control -- with potentially cataclysmic outcomes' as one rationale alongside environmental, economic, and job-displacement concerns. Per Data Center Dynamics, more than 100 local communities have enacted moratoriums and 12 states are pursuing statewide moratorium proposals. For practitioners, these actions signal rising regulatory friction in AI infrastructure siting, longer permitting cycles, and heightened scrutiny of grid and water-use impacts.
North Carolina Considers Electricity Rules for Data Centers