{"slug": "new-york-to-impose-the-country-s-first-statewide-moratorium-on-data-centers", "title": "New York to impose the country's first statewide moratorium on data centers", "summary": "New York Governor Kathy Hochul will sign an executive order imposing the country's first statewide moratorium on hyperscale data centers for up to a year, citing environmental and energy grid concerns. The order halts permitting for new large data centers and directs regulators to create standards addressing energy demand, water usage, and environmental impacts. Tech companies argue the move hurts job growth and cedes ground to China in the AI race.", "body_md": "NEW YORK (AP) — New York will block the construction of any new large data centers for up to a year so the state can create rules to protect the environment and energy grid from the power-hungry facilities that fuel [artificial intelligence](https://apnews.com/article/data-centers-ai-artificial-intelligence-renewable-energy-7995717f506914fc181a07d32d1867a5) technology.\n\nGov. Kathy Hochul is set to sign an executive order Tuesday morning imposing the country's first [statewide moratorium](https://apnews.com/article/data-center-moratoriums-maine-janet-mills-352ad4fbd531d905b9415258692b318f) on hyperscale data centers, which house thousands of computer servers and require massive amounts of energy and a steady supply of water to keep cool.\n\n\"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,\" Hochul, a Democrat, said in a statement.\n\nThe order will pause state permitting for new large data centers and direct state regulators to create standards that address environmental impacts, energy demand, water usage and other factors, the governor's office said.\n\nTech companies and other backers have argued moves to block the construction of data centers hurt job growth for local communities and cede ground to China in a race to lead in the rapidly growing AI industry.\n\nEarlier this year, [Maine](https://apnews.com/article/data-centers-moratoriums-maine-artificial-intelligence-ai-aa63ba087d5ad53ab0735893646e7357) seemed poised to establish a similar moratorium. But the measure was vetoed by the state's Democratic Gov. Janet Mills because it would have blocked a proposed data center in a town that has struggled following the closure of a local mill. Moratoriums have been proposed in at least a dozen states but have not gotten far, though some counties and municipalities have imposed their own temporary bans.\n\nThe decision in New York also carries political significance for Hochul's reelection campaign and the state's tight congressional races this fall, as Democrats move to address affordability concerns over high utility bills and other pocketbook issues. The governor this year softened New York's ambitious goals to reduce greenhouse gases, citing rising energy costs for consumers.\n\nHochul's Republican opponent in the governor's race, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, opposes a statewide moratorium and says local governments should be allowed to strike deals with tech companies for data center projects that promise enough economic benefits.\n\nThe state Legislature this year approved its own moratorium bill, but Hochul's office described the legislation as complex and said it needed additional work. Instead, the governor is opting for an executive order that would take effect immediately once signed.\n\nNew York, at this stage, has not been a destination for the biggest hyperscale data centers.\n\nAnthony Izaguirre, The Associated Press", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/new-york-to-impose-the-country-s-first-statewide-moratorium-on-data-centers", "canonical_source": "https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/york-impose-countrys-first-statewide-101447937.html", "published_at": "2026-07-14 10:14:47+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-07-14 10:49:55.311610+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-infrastructure", "ai-policy"], "entities": ["Kathy Hochul", "New York", "Bruce Blakeman", "Janet Mills", "Maine", "Nassau County", "The Associated Press"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/new-york-to-impose-the-country-s-first-statewide-moratorium-on-data-centers", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/new-york-to-impose-the-country-s-first-statewide-moratorium-on-data-centers.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/new-york-to-impose-the-country-s-first-statewide-moratorium-on-data-centers.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/new-york-to-impose-the-country-s-first-statewide-moratorium-on-data-centers.jsonld"}}