PASS THE DATA CENTER MORATORIUM NOW!

ALBANY, NY (06/03/2026) (readMedia)-- This morning, Politico reported that opposition is lining up against the data center omnibus bill. In response, Liz Moran, New York Policy Advocate at Earthjustice, said:

"With 1 in 4 New Yorkers already unable to afford their energy bills, we can't afford unchecked AI data center expansion that will make prices spike even higher. New York has a strong history of putting the public first by engaging in thoughtful review before potentially harmful practices expand in the state, like cryptocurrency mining and fracking. Now is not the time to go back on that precedent. We need to learn from the other states experiencing tremendous buyers' remorse from the rapid buildout of data centers, where ratepayers and residents are facing significant harm to their wallets and health. The legislature must pass the Responsible Data Center Development Act this session, and ensure we can regulate data centers without harming the public."

Ample evidence shows that building new fossil fuel infrastructure to power data centers drives up utility rates for ratepayers, while renewable energy paired with storage is faster, cheaper and far less polluting for host communities.

Without proactive legislative action, everyday New Yorkers will be left to pay not only for the massive energy consumption of AI data centers, but also for the fossil fuel infrastructure built to power proposed facilities that may never materialize. This all comes as New Yorkers are already paying triple for energy from previous years while utilities that will serve AI data centers are raking in record profits, and data center proposals are already starting to crop up in the state.

States that previously welcomed and subsidized, unchecked data center expansion are now adopting laws and policies to protect ratepayers and communities. Lawmakers are urged to learn from these states by holding tech companies accountable for their energy use and environmental impacts, rejecting fossil fuel expansion, and protecting working families from rising energy bills.