NY Governor Kathy Hochul on data center moratorium Executive Order, July 24th, 2026

NYS Governor Kathy Hochul joined Power & Politics on Thursday, discussing her data center moratorium Executive Order.

"The brilliant people at these AI companies, and we welcome AI innovation, by the way, very much so, as we welcome all innovation in New York," she told CBS6's Tom Eschen in an exclusive interview. "You (AI companies) created a powerful force, a technology that has the possibility of changing civilization and how we work and how we communicate, how we live. Artificial intelligence. Why can't you harness that power and ask the question: Can you receive what you need without these huge hyperscale data centers. Can they be smaller? Can they go vertical? Can they use less power? Can they use less energy? Can they use less water and make less noise? I think that they should be at the table trying to innovate this. Given that all across the country, you know, Democrats, Republican, Independent doesn't matter your party. They're losing the public relations war, and they can be a lot smarter about how they handle this."

The Governor's Executive Order, in part, will establish a framework for municipalities to use while engaging with companies looking to build data centers in their area.

0:00 – Moratorium on Data Centers Governor Hochul explains her new executive order and why New York is hitting pause on large data centers.

1:21 – Protecting Local Communities How state agencies will set new rate structures, environmental standards, and a community investment framework.

3:23 – Pushing AI and Data Centers to Innovate Hochul challenges AI companies to shrink power usage, bring their own power, and improve public perception.

4:14 – Who the Moratorium Actually Hits Why only 50+ megawatt hyperscale facilities are targeted and concerns about grid readiness.

6:55 – No More Tax Breaks for Data Centers Hochul on why profitable data center companies don’t need local tax subsidies and what communities should demand.

9:47 – Empire AI and Cutting Red Tape Using the Empire AI public‑private partnership to review regulations, cut fees, and modernize state government.

12:46 – Final Word on Energy, Business, and AI Hochul’s closing message on balancing economic growth, energy costs, and the promise of AI in New York Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices