Hochul Previews Tough Data Center Rules as Moratorium Clock Ticks
DUTCHESS COUNTY, N.Y. — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul hit the campaign trail in Dutchess County on Wednesday with U.S. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Pat Ryan to call for tough regulations on data centers, WAMC reported.
Nearly three months after she signed an executive order pausing hyperscale data center development statewide, Hochul said she is working on a strong regulatory framework to take effect when the one-year moratorium ends. She suggested data center companies should pay $1 million per megawatt to the communities where they plan to build, that data centers should only be built in communities that want them, and that developers should not seek tax breaks.
"When these enormous, highly profitable mega corporations come to an area like New York, they should not be even asking for a single tax break or a property tax abatement as has happened in the past," Hochul said.
Ocasio-Cortez said communities like East Fishkill are leading the way in challenging data centers from the bottom up, after residents learned a massive hyperscale facility set to consume one gigawatt — nearly a million homes' worth of power — was planned for their community. Ryan, whose district includes parts of the Hudson Valley, said local voices must drive siting decisions.
The data center debate has roiled communities across New York, where developers have proposed massive facilities to serve SI demand, raising concerns about electricity rates, water use and noise. Hochul's moratorium was welcomed by community groups but criticized by industry as a brake on investment.
Hochul recently worked with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to pass a new tax on homes worth over $5 million whose owners don't live in New York City, a law now being challenged in state court. With the governor's race underway, her Dutchess County appearance doubled as a campaign rally in a key swing region.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：纽约州议会大厦（奥尔巴尼）。摄影：Beyond My Ken，CC BY-SA 4.0，来源：Wikimedia Commons
