This week, New York became the first state in the nation to pause new data centers. Here\u2019s how Food & Water Watch made it happen.<\/p>\n
In July, New York became the first state and largest economy in the world to hit the brakes on energy-hungry, water-guzzling data centers. On July 14, Governor Kathy Hochul signed an executive order<\/a> to pause the construction of large-scale (50 MW+) data centers statewide.\u00a0<\/p>\n How did this happen?\u00a0<\/p>\n In just seven short months, Food & Water Watch and our allies and grassroots partners changed the conversation on data centers in New York, upended state politics on the issue, and passed a bill to pause data centers in the State Assembly and Senate.\u00a0<\/p>\n We knew from our research and the experience in communities across the country that AI data centers exact enormous costs on everyday people \u2014 including raising electricity bills, driving more dirty energy and pollution, and guzzling our clean water \u2014 while enriching tech giants. We were quick to join existing grassroots fights against AI data centers in New York and unite them under one demand: a statewide moratorium.\u00a0<\/p>\n Here\u2019s how this incredible win came together, and where we need to go next.<\/p>\n We Demanded What We Needed<\/p>\n Food & Water Watch has a long history of wins in New York based on asking for what we need, not what others say is politically possible. That goes all the way back to 2011, when we were the first national organization to call for a ban on fracking and then helped lead the charge to pass a statewide fracking ban in New York.\u00a0<\/p>\n We saw a similar situation playing out with data centers. Many advocates and lawmakers spoke about regulating AI data centers while they continue to move full steam ahead. But we knew that wasn\u2019t enough. The harms are too great, and Big Tech is moving too fast.\u00a0<\/p>\n We knew we needed to hit the brakes to give our leaders the time needed to find if and how data centers can be built to minimize harm to our health and environment. In November 2025, we became the first national organization to call for a moratorium on data centers nationwide<\/a>. Then, just a month later, we began working with long-time ally State Senator Liz Krueger to draft a moratorium bill for New York.<\/p>\n We Supported Frontline Communities<\/p>\n This fight would not have been possible if not for the dedication of community members fighting data centers in their backyards all across the state.\u00a0<\/p>\n Indigenous leaders from the Tonawanda Seneca Nation led the charge against a data center proposal threatening their land.\u00a0 Grassroots groups across the state jumped into action to defend their communities, including PUSH Buffalo<\/a>, Clean Air Coalition of Western New York<\/a>, No Data Center FLX<\/a>, Data Center Crisis Coalition of NY and NJ<\/a>, and Seneca Lake Guardian<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n More recently, Mohawks United in Safety and Health formed to fight data centers in the North Country, one of Big Tech\u2019s main targets for new proposals in the state.\u00a0<\/p>\n All these leaders and grassroots groups were instrumental to the whole movement\u2019s understanding of data centers\u2019 harms and how to navigate local processes to stop them.\u00a0<\/p>\n Food & Water Watch also joined several local fights, including against two proposals in the Hudson Valley: one in Orangeburg and another in East Fishkill. In June, East Fishkill passe<\/a>d a three-year moratorium on data centers, and in July, Orangeburg Planning Board voted to require an environmental impact statement<\/a> on the proposed data center, pausing the project indefinitely. Notably, Hochul\u2019s order doesn\u2019t cover the Orangeburg proposal, and we\u2019re continuing to fight it \u2014 more on this below.\u00a0<\/p>\n Local organizing not only helped defend communities from disastrous data center proposals; it also drove more press and attention to the issue at the state level. These fights in the Hudson Valley and in Central and Western New York built more momentum for a statewide moratorium in Albany and helped make this a bipartisan issue. They also connected us with dedicated activists who would speak at future rallies and join our campaign for statewide action.<\/p>\n We Grew and Maintained Support in the Legislature<\/p>\n Once the moratorium bill was introduced, we began working to gain the support of state lawmakers. For example, we published a fact sheet<\/a> and shared it with legislators to inform them on the issue. This research helped us gather more sponsors and helped bill sponsors prepare to debate the bill on the floor.\u00a0<\/p>\n As opposition from Big Tech and its allies grew, some lawmakers began to waver. We continued pressuring legislators to maintain their support till the very end, including by gathering more than 60 memos of support from other organizations and distributing them to lawmakers in the final days of the legislative session.<\/p>\n We Showed Our Power to Those in Power<\/p>\n As we were working with our closest allies in Albany, we were also working with everyday New Yorkers to show their own representatives how important this issue is to them.\u00a0<\/p>\n