New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s office said she plans to sign an executive
order on Tuesday to temporarily halt construction of large data centers for up
to one year, effective immediately. The pause applies to facilities with
electricity demand of 50 MW or more and is intended to buy time to draft rules
that balance environmental objectives with grid reliability. The action makes
New York the latest U.S. jurisdiction to curb AI-driven infrastructure growth;
no other state has enacted a statewide pause, though dozens of U.S. counties
have issued temporary bans and several states have proposed similar measures.
Opponents cite risks to local power supply and rising residential utility costs,
and some voters have sought to recall officials who support data center
development.
