New York lawmakers introduce bill that aims to halt data center development for three years

Source: Engadget

Key Provisions

• The Department of Environmental Conservation and the Public Service Commission must issue impact statements and reports during the moratorium.
• The agencies may adopt new orders or regulations deemed necessary to minimize the environmental and consumer impacts of data centers in New York.
• Required studies include data centers’ water, electricity, and gas usage, as well as the effect of these facilities on resource rates.

Context

• The bill cites a Bloomberg analysis noting that “nationally, household electricity rates increased 13 percent in 2025, largely driven by the development of data centers.”
• New York becomes the sixth state in 2024 to propose legislation curbing data center expansion, following Georgia, Maryland, Oklahoma, Vermont, and Virginia (source: Wired).
• The proposal is still in early stages and has been referred to the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee for consideration.