Hochul defends data center permit pause after Hudson Valley farm roundtable
Gov. Kathy Hochul defended New York’s temporary pause on permits for certain new hyperscale data centers during a roundtable with farmers and residents in East Fishkill, Dutchess County. State officials are developing rules addressing data centers’ water use, electricity demand, environmental impacts and costs to utility customers, while East Fishkill has a separate three-year local moratorium tied to concerns about a proposed facility.
Gov. Kathy Hochul defended New York’s temporary pause on discretionary environmental permits for certain new hyperscale data centers during a visit to Fishkill Farms and a roundtable in East Fishkill. She was joined by U.S. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Pat Ryan, who raised concerns about the potential burden of large projects on local communities. Fishkill Farms owner Josh Morgenthau said development should not come at the expense of farmland, water resources or higher energy costs.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation is preparing a generic environmental impact statement on data centers’ effects on electricity demand, water use and quality, and air quality. The Public Service Commission is considering rules that could require developers to pay more for grid infrastructure or provide their own power, while Empire State Development is developing a community-benefits framework. Hochul also cited East Fishkill’s separate three-year local moratorium and said statewide rules remain under development; no new project-specific decision or final statewide requirement was announced at the event.