New York’s first statewide pause on data center development was meant as a compromise, but activists remain concerned that it will not go far enough. As newly elected officials across the country confront promises to regulate or halt data center construction, the debate in New York may offer an early test of whether those compromises can satisfy residents who oppose the projects.
Adrian Josina was encouraged when New York became the first state in the country to enact a moratorium on data center development. For the past two years, the mother of three has organized in western Genesee County against a proposed 600-megawatt data center near the Tonawanda Seneca Nation reservation and a federal wildlife refuge.
Nearly four months into the moratorium’s one-year grace period, however, Josina said she was “getting nervous.” She worries that Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul will not sign a stronger bill establishing a stricter moratorium. She also believes the state Department of Environmental Protection has not been sufficiently involved in New York’s data center review process.
“I feel like she’s just trying to silence us,” Josina said of Hochul.
Promises meet infrastructure demands
Data centers have become a major issue in midterm elections across the country, with politicians from both parties pledging to regulate development or pause new projects. The more difficult phase begins next week, when newly elected officials must either fulfill or abandon those promises as they weigh large infrastructure projects against residents who say they oppose data centers under any circumstances.
The compromises those officials make—and whether they can persuade voters to accept them—could be shaped by New York’s moratorium and the continued opposition from community groups.
New York’s compromise
In July, just two months after rejecting the idea, Hochul signed the country’s first executive order suspending data center development. Her order was a compromise. Several weeks earlier, the state Legislature had passed an omnibus bill that would establish a one-year moratorium across New York.
The bill included provisions more aggressive than Hochul’s moratorium, including strict limits on data center size and a requirement that the Department of Environmental Conservation conduct a comprehensive study of the environmental effects of data center operations. Rather than sign the bill, Hochul issued her own order. The governor must sign the legislation by the end of the year, but her office says it remains under review.
Democrat Kristen Gonzalez, one of the bill’s state Senate sponsors, has publicly supported Hochul’s suspension. Gonzalez said the governor’s office contacted her proactively after the bill passed to help develop a moratorium that would provide more immediate relief for New Yorkers.
For questions or comments about this column, contact senior writer Molly Taft by email or securely on Signal at mollytaft.76.
Source: www.wired.com
