Governor Hochul and Representatives Ocasio-Cortez and Ryan Highlight New York’s Nation-Leading Moratorium on Hyperscale Data Center Construction

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said, "Across the country, Silicon Valley billionaires are trying to impose data centers on communities that don't want them. Today, Governor Hochul, Representative Ryan, and I heard directly from Hudson Valley farmers on the impacts these data centers have on the farming communities in New York State. In July, Governor Hochul took action to protect farmers and working New Yorkers by instituting a one-year moratorium on data center construction. New York is once again showing Americans what is possible when we put working people at the center of our agenda."

Representative Pat Ryan said, "I'm so proud that here in the Hudson Valley we're standing together and fighting back against these data center projects. We're not going to let anyone - especially not a bunch of billionaire tech oligarchs - come in here and poison our water, drive up our utility bills, and build this powerful technology that even they acknowledge could have devastating impacts for humankind. This is a fight that transcends so many of the divides in our country right now because we're all united in putting our community ahead of corporate profits. From our town boards, to the Governor's nation-leading moratorium, to urgently needed action at the federal level, we're going to continue our fight to ensure that we the people are the ones to decide what happens in our lives and in our communities."

State Senator Michelle Hinchey said, "Tech companies are racing to profit off the AI boom, building data centers wherever they can and leaving communities to bear the costs through increased pressure on water supplies, energy infrastructure, and utility bills. New York is responding the right way - with Governor Hochul's nation-leading moratorium, which is critical to giving the state time to understand the risks involved and, above all, protect ratepayers from higher bills and our natural resources from depletion. New York has an opportunity to lead in responsible innovation, and I thank Governor Hochul for her leadership and Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez for bringing this fight to the federal level."

State Senator Kristen Gonzalez said, "Across New York State, communities are struggling with the impacts of unchecked data center development from demands on our natural resources to strains on our energy grid. On my New York Fights AI Data Centers Statewide Tour, I visited 13 proposed or existing data centers and met with communities, just like East Fishkill, fighting to protect their air, water, and land. I want to thank the Governor for her first-in-the-nation moratorium on the largest data centers and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for her work introducing federal data center legislation."