Proposal calls for three-year mora­torium on con­struction of data centers in New York

New York lawmakers, advocates, and community leaders gathered at the state Capitol to advocate for proposed legislation imposing a three-year moratorium on new data center construction statewide. Cheryl Cordes, a resident of Alabama, New York, where a large 2.2 million square foot Stream Data Center is proposed, expressed concerns about environmental impacts, specifically 'infrasound' noise. State Senator Kristin Gonzalez, chair of the state Senate’s Internet and Technology Committee and co-sponsor of the legislation, stated that the fight transcends individual data centers, highlighting the significant projected increase in data center electricity usage—an estimated 9,000 megawatts, doubling the electricity consumption of all New York households. She argued that hyperscale data centers, primarily used by 'big tech' for large language models, threaten the state's ability to maintain its energy supply for New Yorkers. The Data Center Coalition, represented by director of state policy Khara Boender, countered these claims, citing research from Lawrence Berkeley National Lab suggesting rising energy costs are due to various factors, including the need for grid updates and hardening against extreme weather. Boender also warned that a three-year moratorium could signal to data center companies that New York is not a welcoming environment for their operations.