Tech & Appsbreaking news
New York paused data centers first, and organizers want a stricter pause
Two years into her fight against a 600-megawatt project, Adrienne Yocina fears the governor will not sign a tougher moratorium, while polls show voters leaning her way.
A first-in-the-nation pause with a catch
Adrienne Yocina has organized for two years in western Genesee County to stop a 600-megawatt data center near the Tonawanda Seneca Nation's reservation and a federal wildlife refuge. [1] She was excited when New York became the first state in the country to enact a moratorium on data center development. [1]
Her worry is what comes next. Yocina fears that Governor Kathy Hochul won't sign a stronger bill imposing a stricter moratorium. [1]
Where the governor and the bill's sponsor stand
Hochul said the purpose of her pause was that communities should be able to choose whether to have data centers. [1] State Senate sponsor Kristen Gonzalez has publicly supported Hochul's moratorium, and says the governor's office reached out to her after her bill passed to help design it. [1]
Gonzalez also reports what she heard on a data center tour of New York. She said the people she talked to overwhelmingly wanted Hochul to implement more aggressive measures to protect communities. [1]
What the polls show
A September Siena poll found 63 percent of New Yorkers would oppose data centers being built in their area even after Hochul's moratorium expires. [1] According to the same poll, 75 percent of New York Democrats would remain opposed to data center development after the moratorium. [1]
In a recent Quinnipiac poll, 53 percent of New York voters trusted Hochul to do a better job handling AI and data centers, compared to 31 percent trusting Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman. [1] Blakeman called Hochul's moratorium 'crazy' when it was passed in July. [1]
Pressure from New York City and other races
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he will call on Governor Hochul to sign a more expansive data center moratorium bill into law. [2] He said city AI policy has been guided by the question of what can be done in the face of a complete abdication of federal law. [2]
The city has already acted on AI in schools. Its one-year ban temporarily prohibits AI chatbot use in schools for students through eighth grade, and high schoolers' use is limited to five pilot programs and critical thinking modules. [2] Mamdani has also tapped former FTC Commissioner Lina Khan to lead the New York City Economic Development Board. [2]
Other states are watching the same question in their governor's races. At least 20 gubernatorial candidates have promised a data center moratorium or pause, according to research compiled by MultiState. [1]
What this means for you
If you live in New York, the current moratorium is a pause that Hochul says is meant to let communities choose whether to have data centers. [1] The Siena poll found 63 percent of New Yorkers would still oppose data centers in their area after it expires. [1]
The next thing to watch is whether Hochul signs a more expansive bill, which Mamdani said he will call on her to do and which Yocina fears she won't. [2][1]
Sources
Written from the sources above and checked twice before publishing. How we work · Report an error
