New York Halts New Data Center Construction
New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed an executive order temporarily barring the state from approving new permits for data centers that draw 50 megawatts or more, halting any unapproved projects while agencies complete an environmental review expected to take about a year. The Department of Environmental Conservation will not issue permits not already finalized. The Public Service Department is studying requirements for centers to fund dedicated clean generation and battery storage, and Hochul is weighing a grid-support fund and curbing tax breaks for hyperscale facilities; a separate Responsible Data Center Development Act in the legislature would impose a one-year pause for projects above 20 MW. Hochul also announced a reported Micron commitment of $100 billion and said she has agreements with the New York Power Authority to expand nuclear capacity; the move prompted both environmental praise and industry criticism.
- •Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered a temporary moratorium on state approval of new permits for data centers that draw 50 megawatts or more.
- •The New York Department of Environmental Conservation will not issue permits that were not already completed; agencies will complete an environmental review expected to take about a year.
- •The Public Service Department is studying requirements for data centers to fund dedicated clean generation and battery storage; Hochul is also considering a grid-support fund and curbing tax breaks for hyperscale centers.