State Sen. Kristen Gonzalez is urging Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign legislation imposing broader restrictions on large data centers than those included in the governor’s existing executive order, according to State of Politics.
The Responsible Data Center Development Act would generally apply to data centers using 20 megawatts or more, compared with the executive order’s 50-megawatt threshold.
The bill would require a new utility classification for data centers, establish energy-efficiency targets and could require some facilities to provide their own power.
The New York State Business Council opposes the legislation, raising concerns about requirements including a mandate for certain data centers to obtain increasing shares of their electricity from renewable sources.
Gonzalez has toured communities across New York to build support for the measure, which Hochul has until the end of the year to sign.
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