Overview
- Governor Kathy Hochul signed an executive order on Tuesday pausing state permitting for new hyperscale data centers that draw 50 megawatts or more and that lack prior permits.
- The order directs state agencies to complete a Generic Environmental Impact Statement and to write uniform rules that would make operators supply their own power or pay for upgrades and create a Grid Acceleration Fund and a Community Investment Framework.
- Projects with existing permits or approvals are generally allowed to proceed, while the pause gives regulators up to one year to finish standards and consider changes to tax breaks for large operators.
- Industry groups, some unions and President Donald Trump warned the pause could shift jobs and investment to other states and hamper U.S. competitiveness, while environmental and community advocates praised the move.
- New York’s action is the first statewide moratorium of its kind and could shape other states’ policies as officials weigh how to keep electricity grids reliable, protect water supplies and limit higher utility bills for local ratepayers.