Albany, NY – In a letter sent to Governor Hochul today, more than 100 environmental, consumer, faith and community groups from throughout New York called on her to immediately sign into law a one-year moratorium on the construction of new hyperscale data centers. On June 4, the last day of the legislative session, the state legislature passed the moratorium bill. If signed by Governor Hochul, New York would become the first state in the country to enact a complete temporary halt to this AI- and crypto-driven data center development boom.

The letter was undertaken by the environmental organization Food & Water Watch and signed by groups including NAACP New York State Conference, Citizen Action of New York, NYPIRG, NY Renews, PUSH Buffalo, NYC-DSA, the Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter, the Clean Air Coalition of Western New York, For the Many, New York Communities for Change, For the Many, and the Long Island Progressive Coalition.

The letter states, in part:

The explosive growth of data centers is one of the worst affordability and environmental threats confronting New York. This expansion risks rapidly increasing demand for energy, undermining electric grid reliability, raising utility bills, driving more fossil fuel pollution, straining water resources, devouring land, and creating unbearable noise for impacted communities… The Responsible Data Center Development Act contains noteworthy reforms, including water protections and labor standards. It requires the completion of an environmental impact report that would inform additional rules and regulations. Most importantly, the bill presses the pause button, establishing a one-year moratorium on new data centers, protecting our communities from their rampant destruction.

The letter comes as just the latest pressure point in what has been a large and ever-growing movement throughout the state against new AI data center buildout. Before the bill’s passage last month, more than 150 community, consumer, environmental and faith organizations from throughout New York called for quick passage. Additionally, in a letter sent to Governor Hochul and the legislature in May, nearly 500 small business owners from across the state called for the passage and signing of the bill.

Across the state in recent months, numerous communities have been successfully challenging and defeating new hyperscale data center proposals as pressure has mounted on the governor to enact a statewide moratorium.

Last October, Food & Water Watch became the first national organization in the country to call for a full nationwide moratorium on the approval and construction of new data centers. In a letter to Congress last month, more than 520 organizations from 48 states echoed this call.