STOP THE RUSH TO BUILD AI DATA CENTERS!

ALBANY, NY (10/28/2026) (readMedia)-- Today, advocates rallied outside the Public Service Commission (PSC) "technical conference," part of the review process for Governor Hochul's data center moratorium. The groups urged Governor Hochul to slow down and take all of the public's concerns about data centers into account, rather than the rushed, narrow review process currently underway.

WATCH THE PRESSER HERE

In September, the PSC released its draft scoping document that defined what the agency will review as it looks at AI data centers' impact on New York. But this scoping plan only looks at the grid's ability to handle data centers, and neglects most of the public's concerns including rising electricity costs, noise disturbances, air pollution, and water issues. Environmental Advocates NY, Sierra Club, and Earthjustice sent a letter to the PSC detailing these issues.

This process has been a rush job, cutting out the public and the public's major concerns even as polls show and Governor Hochul acknowledges that New Yorkers overwhelmingly oppose AI data centers. Advocates highlighted that fracking was the last statewide industrial practice to be proposed for upstate New York, and that the data center process needs to follow that precedent including a robust scoping process with public hearings and substantial comment period.

At the rally, advocates demanded Governor Hochul:

• Slow down and expand the process. The public was originally only given 30 days to comment, recently extended by two weeks but ending the day after a major election. Advocates demanded Governor Hochul and the PSC extend the public comment period so that it doesn't end the day after the election.
• Schedule public hearings so the public can meaningfully participate. There have been public hearings during this stage of a review process for other issues, including when New York considered fracking.
• Broaden the scope. The proposed scope leaves out the majority of the public's concerns around data centers, and many of the issues Governor Hochul cited when she passed the executive order, including rising electricity bills, air pollution, water consumption, impacts on local communities and Indigenous Nations, dangerous noise levels, and destruction of land. A comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement must look at all of these issues.
• Involve the Department of Environmental Conservation. The PSC has energy expertise, but the DEC has environmental and climate impact expertise. With data centers' potential for serious negative impact on the environment, the DEC must be a leader in this process.

"Governor Hochul says she wants to protect New Yorkers from the negative impacts of AI data centers, but what she's actually doing about them amounts to nothing more than checking a box so she can say she tried. This process was flawed from the start. Governor Hochul must slow down, bring in the public, and actually look at how data centers negatively impact everyday people," said Renee Vogelsang, New York Director of Frack Action.

"Unfathomably wealthy Big Tech data center developers are licking their lips as they take aim for New York's water, land, and energy, and they will rush in as fast as they can to avoid backlash or regulation. New York must slow down its review process and immediately hold public hearings on this deeply unpopular industry that threatens to ransack our communities and raise our utility bills, worsen the climate crisis, and pollute our air and water," said Ethan Gormley, Legislative Coordinator, Citizen Action of New York.

"Adding data center demand to the grid only exacerbates existing price pressures, making it more likely that higher costs for home energy will be here to stay. The State needs to put a pause on large load data centers, and thoroughly study the potential economic and environmental impacts, at least until New Yorkers can comfortably afford energy bills," said Emma Paulsen, NYPIRG Project Coordinator.

"The scoping document that is developed to guide the review process should match the scope of the impacts reasonably anticipated from large data centers," said Dr. Kathleen Nolan, Senior Research Director at Catskill Mountainkeeper and President of New York State's chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility. She continued: "Either the Public Service Commission needs to expand its review dramatically to include environmental issues such as noise, heat, vibrations, toxic air emissions, and water quality and quantity – and allow sufficient time for serious public engagement and comment – or another agency, such as the Department of Environmental Conservation, should take on or share leadership of the review. Moreover, since large data centers pose both physical and mental health risks to individuals and pose safety and quality of life risks to communities, a coordinated review with the Department of Health is necessary to provide needed protections and prevent potentially severe and irreversible damage. Both the Department of Environmental Conservation and the Department of Health were involved in New York State's reviews of high volume hydraulic fracturing (fracking), and the review of large data centers should be equally diligent."

"Governor Hochul must stop the rush to allow a renewed onslaught of data centers in New York The rampant expansion of data centers is one of the worst affordability and environmental threats facing New York," said Eric Weltman, a Senior Organizer with Food & Water Watch. "Unfortunately, Hochul is hurrying the process to assess the risks of these costly and dangerous facilities with a shoddy analysis that would end the moratorium."

"New York's data center review process ignores or undervalues some of these enormous projects' most serious environmental and energy impacts, and gives Big Tech the opportunity to dodge meaningful engagement from local communities," said Rob Hayes, Senior Director of Clean Water at Environmental Advocates NY. "If Governor Hochul is serious about protecting New Yorkers and keeping our power bills down, she must implement a slower, more rigorous review process that properly measures these projects' environmental impacts and gives the public a real say."

"We thank Gov. Hochul for her leadership that has put New York at the forefront of regulating hyperscale data centers. It's critical that proper guardrails and safeguards are put in place to minimize the negative economic, environmental, and human impacts that unchecked data center development inflict upon communities. It's critical now though that we slow down and expand the public process. Public hearings need to be scheduled so that everyone's voices are heard before this goes any further. We need to ensure that this includes the impact on electricity bills, air pollution, water use, and impacts on local and indigenous communities. We also believe that it's critical that we draw upon the DEC's climate expertise to complement the energy expertise of the PSC. Now is the time to step up to make sure that the goals and best interests of all New Yorkers are front and center in this process. We stand in support of communities across the state who have so much riding on this," said Harry Moran, Data Centers Team Co-Lead, Third Act Upstate NY.

"The Finger Lakes has spent years living with the consequences of Greenidge Generation, a polluting fossil fuel power plant that was resurrected to mine Bitcoin and is now rebranding itself as an AI data center developer," said Yvonne Taylor, Vice President of Seneca Lake Guardian and President of the National Coalition Against Cryptomining. "The name and technology may change, but the threats to our electric grid and natural resources remain the same. As hyperscale AI data center developers set their sights on New York, Governor Hochul must slow this process down and put stronger protections in place before more communities are left to bear the costs."

"New York's AI data center moratorium is only as meaningful as the Public Service Commission's commitment to facilitating an environmental review that is fair and comprehensive," said Roger Downs, conservation director for the Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter. "If done properly, New Yorkers can expect new rules at the conclusion of this process that will either impose consequential protections or necessary prohibitions for an industry that is overwhelming our utilities, undermining environmental health, and causing energy bills to skyrocket. Despite the promise of Governor Hochul's executive order, the PSC is rushing this process and improperly limiting the scope and breadth of what is to be studied. We urge the governor to get the GEIS back on track and to listen to the public who are overwhelmingly opposed to AI Data Centers taking over our communities."