Hopewell Junction, NY (May 21) — Dozens of Hudson Valley residents and community leaders gathered today outside East Fishkill’s Town Hall to demand the Town Board enact a local moratorium mirrored off of the minimum three-year data center pause proposed in New York State Senate (S9144A) and Assembly (A10141). Impacted community members in the Hudson Valley in three different areas where AI data centers are proposed are calling for federal representatives, New York state legislators, and municipal officials to pass moratoriums to create regulations for the significant environmental impacts, loss of public funds, and electricity costs associated with data centers. 

Mike Lawler, who has several data center proposals in his district, including proposals in Orangeburg, East Fishkill, and at Indian Point in Buchanan, has not yet supported the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Data Center Moratorium Act introduced by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. 

“New York cannot afford to ignore the growing strain on our electric grid while approving projects that demand enormous amounts of power. Innovation and economic development matter — but so do affordability, reliability, and protecting working families from even higher utility costs. Before we expand large-scale data center development, we must ensure our state has the energy infrastructure and generation capacity necessary to support it responsibly,” said Assemblyman Anil R. Beephan Jr. (R-East Fishkill)

“It is clear that opposition to data centers is a popular issue, and for good reasons. The explosive growth of AI data centers is the greatest environmental and affordability threat facing our nation,” said Melissa Hoffmann, organizer with Food & Water Watch. The people of East Fishkill have spoken. Now, we call on our elected officials to do the same and stand with their constituents. Thank you to Assemblymember Anil Beephan for co-sponsoring the statewide data center moratorium bill. Mike Lawler must do the same at the federal level and stop the AI frenzy from harming our communities before it’s too late.”

The rally came amidst growing opposition to AI data centers across the state and country. Residents of towns where data centers are being proposed are stepping up to fight back against noise pollution, increased water consumption and electricity costs, grid instability, and environmental damage that would result if data centers are built. A petition started by East Fishkill residents opposing the Treetop data center garnered over 1000 signatures, and a letter was sent by residents to the Town Board in support of an immediate moratorium on data centers. 

“It would be reckless to green-light a massive new data center in East Fishkill while Hudson Valley residents are already struggling with extreme energy costs. The proposed facility would require a truly enormous amount of energy, creating an even bigger burden that will ultimately raise rates.  We cannot afford our bills as it is—which means we cannot afford to subsidize Big Tech’s greedy energy consumption, especially when Governor Hochul is actively rolling back our climate laws. It is unacceptable to prioritize data centers like this one over New York’s working families. We call on all local elected officials to oppose this data center and pass moratoriums now.” said Xaver Kandler, political director at For the Many.

“My family and I moved to the area because we love the small-town character of the community, the scenic mountains, wetlands, creeks, and lakes,” said Mike Schade, Fishkill resident. “A massive AI data center is not what we signed up for.  In recent years, communities across the country have been besieged by these mammoth data centers that drive up energy costs for local homeowners and renters, deplete precious water supplies, and contribute to mind-numbing noise pollution in neighborhoods. Our energy bills are already off the charts, and this new facility would likely only further burden area residents. Allowing this data center to proceed would be out of step with the character of our beloved community.  We are here to say no – enough is enough!  East Fishkill and New York have a historic opportunity to make this right, by passing a moratorium on massive AI data centers.”

“My family and I have lived in East Fishkill for almost 37 years. We moved to the area because of its beauty, open space and a strong sense of community. Over the years the town has allowed the intrusion of massive warehouses. A 1-Gig data Center will further change the character of the area and is not aligned with the New Master Plan soon to be implemented. Too much is at stake, and a three-year moratorium is needed to study the impact of a data center of any size” said Fran Caracappa, a concerned citizen of the East Fishkill Community.

There are two applications with the New York Independent System Operator for data centers in East Fishkill: one filed in July 2025 for what would be the second largest data proposal in the state – Treetop’s 1 gigawatt data center, and a second for iPark 84 on Lime Kiln Road.