Gov. Kathy Hochul and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez stood side by side in East Fishkill Tuesday, putting aside their policy disagreements to unite against a shared target: hyperscale data centers threatening to reshape New York's power grid, water supply and farmland. The two Democrats toured Fishkill Farms, a family-owned, multigenerational operation sitting near a proposed data-center site, before telling reporters that reining in the industry has become a rare point of agreement between them.
According to Spectrum News, Hochul and Ocasio-Cortez found middle ground Tuesday opposing data center construction, even though the pair have clashed on other fronts, including proposals to tax the wealthy. Hochul framed the fight in broader terms, saying it is part of a larger effort to make New York more livable. “This is all part of a larger fight of making New York more livable, more affordable, and better for working families,” she said, per the outlet. Hochul also said communities deserve a say in decisions affecting their future, according to the same report.
The East Fishkill stop doubled as a joint appearance with Rep. Pat Ryan, and the group toured Fishkill Farms specifically because of its location near a proposed data-center project in the town, according to WLEA. That outlet reported the trio today toured Fishkill Farms, a family-owned, multigenerational farm in East Fishkill, as part of a roundtable on the industry's local impact.
What the Statewide Moratorium Actually Does
Hochul's executive order temporarily paused discretionary state environmental permits for new hyperscale data centers for up to one year, the station reported, while also establishing a framework meant to protect ratepayers, the environment, the grid and communities, according to the Office of Governor Kathy Hochul. The pause specifically targets so-called hyperscale facilities, defined as those drawing 50 or more megawatts of power, according to The New York Times. The same order requires data centers to pay into a state fund earmarked for badly needed electrical grid improvements, the Times reported.
Hochul also directed Empire State Development to build out a Community Investment Framework for future data-center projects, WLEA reported. Under that voluntary framework, developers would be recommended to pay a host community at least $1 million for every megawatt a facility requires, according to LocalSYR.
AOC Wants to Take New York's Playbook to Washington
Ocasio-Cortez said she wants to bring that plan to the federal stage, per Spectrum News, arguing that the protections New York is building into its moratorium shouldn't stop at the state line. “These should be rights available to every American,” she said of protections for water, energy and air, the outlet reported. The congresswoman is also stumping for Democrats hoping to retake Congress this cycle, the station noted.
The appearance comes amid a national debate over data centers, with Politico describing backlash across rural and urban areas and political polarization. Ocasio-Cortez alone took aim at Republican gubernatorial nominee Bruce Blakeman, Hochul's opponent in the race, over his approach to the industry, saying, “He wants to turn over the entire state to these tech oligarchs.” Blakeman appeared at a separate Hudson Valley event Tuesday with GOP Rep. Mike Lawler, Spectrum News reported.
A Murky Record on East Fishkill's Own Local Freeze
Accounts differ on whether East Fishkill itself has already acted against the proposed project in town. Spectrum News reported that local officials didn't pass a three-year ban on the project in June. But WAMC reported that the town's Board unanimously voted to adopt a three-year freeze on data centers on June 26. The dossier does not resolve which account is accurate.
WAMC's report also noted that Allegany and Dryden have passed permanent bans on new data centers elsewhere in New York, while Oneonta adopted a separate moratorium of its own. The patchwork reflects a broader national wave: hundreds of U.S. counties and towns now maintain a ban or moratorium on data center construction, according to data from Heatmap News.
The Stakes Behind the Pushback
The scale of what's being proposed helps explain the urgency. Potential data centers in New York are seeking more than 9,000 megawatts of new electricity, the Times reported, while the Times Union has reported that proposed facilities statewide could collectively require power approaching the demand of New York City itself. Yet a Sightline Climate researcher cited by the Times Union noted that less than one-third of data centers slated to come online this year had actually begun construction.
The financial fallout from local resistance has been substantial. At least $260 billion in data-center investments were canceled nationally in 2026 after sustained local opposition, according to Heatmap News, which also found that roughly $1 trillion in investment now faces some kind of sustained or meaningful pushback. A Heatmap Pro and Embold Research poll found that 75% of Americans would oppose a data center being built near where they live, the outlet reported.
New York isn't alone in grappling with the issue. In North Carolina, Raleigh leaders voted 7-1 to pause development of new, larger data centers for six months, according to WRAL, even as community advocates pushed for a 32-month pause to allow more time for impact studies.
