Source: The Guardian

New York Governor Kathy Hochul issued an executive order on 14 July 2026 signing a one-year statewide pause on the permitting process for proposed "hyperscale" datacenters, defined in the order as facilities with electrical capacity above 50 megawatts. The order directs state regulators to develop standards addressing environmental impacts, energy demand, water usage and other factors, and signals exploration of policies requiring hyperscale datacenters to pay higher energy rates or supply their own power.

The governor framed the pause as necessary to protect the energy grid, minimize land disruption and noise, and safeguard water supplies, saying the moratorium will be reviewed and lifted once the new policy is in place. The legislature had earlier approved a one-year moratorium with additional provisions — including environmental impact reports, labor, energy-efficiency and transparency standards — but at a lower 20-megawatt threshold that Hochul has not yet enacted; state senator Kristen Gonzalez welcomed the executive order. Polling cited includes a Heatmap finding that almost three-quarters of Americans oppose a datacenter near their homes and a Siena Research Institute poll showing 46% of New Yorkers support a one-year moratorium while 21% oppose it. The article also notes that more than a dozen states have considered moratoria, that Maine enacted then saw its governor veto such a measure, and that some cities including Seattle and a small Southern California city have recently approved local bans or moratoria.