'I'm Very Grateful To The Governor': AOC Lauds Kathy Hochul’s ‘Leadership’ On Data Center Moratorium
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez praised Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York residents for supporting an AI data center moratorium. She said the policy is intended to protect electricity costs, water supplies, air quality and local communities while requiring data center companies to contribute more in taxes.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez praised Gov. Kathy Hochul’s leadership on New York’s AI data center moratorium during remarks in Fishkill, where residents and farmers had opposed a proposed hyperscale facility. Ocasio-Cortez said the project could have consumed about one gigawatt of power—roughly equivalent to the needs of nearly 1 million homes—and raised concerns about electricity bills, well water, noise and agricultural impacts.
Ocasio-Cortez described the moratorium as a product of grassroots organizing and said it would establish protections before further data center development proceeds. She also highlighted her federal AI moratorium proposal, arguing that communities nationwide should receive similar safeguards and that large technology companies should pay a fair share of taxes rather than receiving incentives that strain schools and infrastructure.