New York lawmakers have blocked a one-year ban on new data centers

New York State Legislature it has passed a one-year shutdown of large data centers, the first such ban nationwide if Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul signs it into law.

Lawmakers behind the bill say they need to give policymakers time to understand how big data centers affect the environment and energy prices. It orders the state’s environmental agency to produce a report assessing the amount of electricity, water, and land used by the data center, as well as the pollution it produces. It also requires companies planning to build large data centers – defined as having a maximum capacity of 20 megawatts – to hold a public hearing at least three months before approving the project. Hochul has not said whether he will sign the bill, and has until December to decide whether to sign it or veto it, according to Bloomberg Government.

Surveys show that most Americans they oppose the idea of ​​data centers in their communitiesand heated public meetings throughout the country have shown that it is a galvanizing problem across the political spectrum. Earlier this year, the Maine legislature passed a bill that would have blocked new data centers until the end of 2027, but Democratic Governor Janet Mills. voted because it failed to include exemptions from previously planned work, according to The New York Times. The New York Independent System Operator, a non-profit organization responsible for ensuring the reliability of the utility grid, said it is reviewing 24 data center proposals with more than 9,000 megawatts, according to 10 ABC pictures, and given 180 megawatt project in Albany It has worried the residents.

The New York bill is a bit more conservative than the three-year proposal that was introduced earlier, according to Politics. But even the one-year hiatus has led to pushback from industry circles. Stacey Sikes, president and CEO of the business group Long Island Association said Politics the suspension “would be a waste of the government’s resources, because having a blanket suspension instead of focusing on each case will not allow the government to move forward with the data center project that would be really useful for our economy.”

Hochul’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment after the bill was passed, but spokeswoman Kathy Devoe said. Politics in the previous statement, “The governor will review the bill.”