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.
Hochul signed an executive order Tuesday enacting a one-year statewide moratorium on new “hyperscale” data centers that need at least 50 megawatts of power to run — bending the knee to the Democratic Socialists of America, which has made the hubs a big focus of campaigns across the country.
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.
Longtime socialist organizer and Occupy Wall Street vet Astra Taylor declared the anti-data-center push “one of the biggest political opportunities that I’ve personally ever seen” during a June 21 DSA Ecosocialism virtual event, gloating the far-left opposition is “taking this moment by storm.”
Albany was the first to buckle in large part because of the far-left’s rising clout on the lobbying and legislative front, said Stu Smith, an analyst for the Manhattan Institute who has studied the DSA’s surging opposition to the centers.
“I think it’s silly because there are definitely people in New York City trying to make it the AI capital of the world,” he said.
“New York is really shooting itself in the foot by [imposing the moratorium].”
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.
Hochul even drew rave reviews from state Sen. Kristen Gonzalez — the card-carrying DSA member who represents parts of Queens, Manhattan and Brooklyn, and sponsored the moratorium legislation, called the “Responsible Data Center Development Act.”
“Technology should make our lives better, not pollute our water, strain our energy grid, or drive up our utility bills,” Gonzalez said Tuesday.
Hochul has claimed she pursued a middle-ground between protecting the state — and its already-strained power grid — and helping to incubate the rapidly developing AI industry.
But the Empire State needs to only look south to Loudoun County, Virginia, to see what riches it’s missing out on to satisfy socialists, said Smith.
Loudoun handles 70% of the world’s daily internet traffic and is home to roughly 250 data centers.
Often called “Data Center Alley,” the industry has made Loudoun one of the wealthiest regions in the US, as data centers make up only 3% of the county’s land but generate a whopping $1.3 billion in local property tax revenue.
Others critical of the move include President Trump and the Data Center Coalition, which claims a yearlong moratorium will “undermine New York’s economy and send a signal that the state is closed for business.”
Hochul spokesperson Jennifer Goodman, said anyone suggesting the governor supported the moratorium to cater to far-left pols “is disconnected from reality,” citing a recent Gallup poll showing 7 in 10 Americans oppose the construction of AI data centers in their neighborhoods.
“Gov. Hochul heard those concerns and took nation-leading action to protect New Yorkers, their utility bills, and their land and water – demonstrating that you can lead on AI innovation while putting people first,” she said.
New York Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman — who supports data-center industry expansion — accused Hochul of backing the moratorium because she thinks it’ll score her political capital, and votes, with the far left.
“Kathy 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’s highest taxes and utility bills,” he told The Post.
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