Gov. Hochul Hears Concerns Over Data Centers
Gov. Kathy Hochul and federal and state lawmakers met with Hudson Valley farmers and community stakeholders in East Fishkill to discuss concerns about hyperscale data center development. New York has enacted a one-year moratorium on new hyperscale data center construction while the state develops rules addressing water use, land impacts, energy demand, utility costs and environmental protections.
Gov. Kathy Hochul joined U.S. Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Pat Ryan at Fishkill Farms in East Fishkill for a roundtable with farmers, advocates and businesses concerned about proposed hyperscale data centers in the Hudson Valley. Participants cited potential effects on water supplies, farmland, energy infrastructure, utility bills and local communities.
Hochul said New York’s one-year moratorium, implemented through an executive order, pauses discretionary state environmental permits for new hyperscale data centers while regulators develop a broader framework. Ocasio-Cortez, Ryan and state senators Michelle Hinchey and Kristen Gonzalez backed the pause and called for stronger protections for residents and natural resources.
The event also highlighted New York’s Responsible AI Safety and Education Act, which will impose registration, transparency, safety and incident-reporting requirements on large frontier AI developers. The state’s new Office of Digital Innovation, Governance, Integrity and Trust will oversee compliance beginning in 2027.