Gov. Kathy Hochul caved to Democrat socialists when she made New York the first state to stop construction of large data centers, critics told The Post.<\/p>\n
Hochul signed an executive order Tuesday enacting a one-year statewide moratorium <\/a>on new \u201chyperscale\u201d data centers that need at least 50 megawatts of power to run \u2014 bending the knee to the Democratic Socialists of America, which has made the hubs a big focus of campaigns across the country.<\/p>\n DSA chapters in Seattle, Portland and other parts of the US are organizing against data-center developments, claiming they push a Big Tech agenda that includes support for Israel and citing concerns over water consumption and the massive energy needed to operate them.<\/p>\n Gov. Kathy Hochul and other Dems caved to socialists and the rest of the party\u2019s far-left faction by making New York the first US state to pause construction of large data centers, critics said. Matt Roberts\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n Longtime socialist organizer and Occupy Wall Street vet Astra Taylor declared the anti-data-center push \u201cone of the biggest political opportunities that I\u2019ve personally ever seen\u201d during a June 21 DSA Ecosocialism\u00a0virtual event<\/a>, gloating the far-left opposition is \u201ctaking this moment by storm.\u201d<\/p>\n Albany was the first to buckle in large part because of the far-left\u2019s rising clout on the lobbying and legislative front, said Stu Smith, an analyst for the Manhattan Institute who has studied the DSA\u2019s surging opposition to the centers.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s silly because there are definitely people in New York City trying to make it the AI capital of the world,\u201d he said. \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cNew York is really shooting itself in the foot by [imposing the moratorium].\u201d<\/p>\n The pause on new permits conveniently comes with Hochul in the midst of a reelection, as she tries to balance placating far lefties while also satisfying her moderate Dem base, according to critics.<\/p>\n Hochul even drew rave reviews from state Sen. Kristen Gonzalez \u2014 the card-carrying DSA member who represents parts of Queens, Manhattan and Brooklyn, and sponsored the moratorium legislation, called the \u201cResponsible Data Center Development Act.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTechnology should make our lives better, not pollute our water, strain our energy grid, or drive up our utility bills,\u201d Gonzalez said Tuesday.<\/p>\n Construction workers building a new data center in Albany. Albany Times Union via Getty Ima<\/p>\n Hochul has claimed she pursued a middle-ground between protecting the state \u2014 and its already-strained power grid \u2014 and helping to incubate the rapidly developing AI industry.<\/p>\n But the Empire State needs to only look south to Loudoun County, Virginia, to see what riches it\u2019s missing out on to satisfy socialists, said Smith.<\/p>\n Loudoun handles 70% of the world\u2019s daily internet traffic and is home to roughly 250 data centers.<\/a> <\/p>\n Often called \u201cData Center Alley,\u201d the industry has made Loudoun one of the wealthiest regions in the US, as data centers make up only 3% of the county\u2019s land but generate a whopping $1.3 billion in local property tax revenue.<\/p>\n A recent Gallup poll shows seven in 10 Americans oppose the construction of AI data centers in their neighborhoods. Albany Times Union via Getty Images<\/p>\n Others critical of the move include President Trump<\/a> and the Data Center Coalition, which claims a yearlong moratorium will \u201cundermine New York\u2019s economy and send a signal that the state is closed for business.\u201d<\/p>\n Hochul spokesperson Jennifer Goodman, said anyone suggesting the governor supported the moratorium to cater to far-left pols \u201cis disconnected from reality,\u201d citing a recent Gallup poll <\/a>showing 7 in 10 Americans oppose the construction of AI data centers in their neighborhoods.<\/p>\n \u201cGov. Hochul heard those concerns and took nation-leading action to protect New Yorkers, their utility bills, and their land and water \u2013 demonstrating that you can lead on AI innovation while putting people first,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n New York Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman \u2014 who supports data-center industry expansion \u2014 accused Hochul of backing the moratorium because she thinks it\u2019ll score her political capital, and votes, with the far left.<\/p>\n \u201cKathy Hochul will always put the interests of [NYC Mayor] Zohran Mamdani and big-government socialists ahead of New Yorkers, even if it means blocking economic opportunity while families struggle under the nation\u2019s highest taxes and utility bills,\u201d he told The Post.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t