East Fishkill was the site for New York’s second-biggest data center proposal. The town has taken the controversial issue into its own hands and passed a three-year moratorium, while Governor Hochul considers a bipartisan bill passed earlier this month that would establish a one-year moratorium statewide.
HOPEWELL JUNCTION, N.Y. — The East Fishkill Town Board has approved a three-year moratorium, Thursday, June 25 on the construction of new data centers following months of community opposition and advocacy efforts.
The vote came after dozens of Hudson Valley residents joined members of Food & Water Watch, Indivisible 845, and For The Many outside East Fishkill Town Hall to urge town officials to reject Treetop Development’s proposal for a large data center and temporarily halt future data center projects while regulations are considered.
Supporters of the moratorium argued that additional time is needed to evaluate the potential impacts of large-scale data centers, including increased electricity demand, water consumption, noise, environmental concerns, and potential costs to taxpayers.
“The people of East Fishkill and the Hudson Valley have made it abundantly clear: They don’t want massive, noisy, polluting, expensive data centers in their backyards, and they’re ready to show up and fight to protect their communities,” said Melissa Hoffmann, an organizer with Food & Water Watch.
Hoffmann praised the Town Board’s decision and called on state and federal lawmakers to adopt similar measures. She urged Governor Kathy Hochul to sign statewide legislation that would establish a one-year moratorium on new data centers and called on Congressman Mike Lawler to support federal legislation that would temporarily pause new projects while national standards are developed.
East Fishkill joins a growing list of New York municipalities taking action on data center development. Communities including Lysander, Oneonta, and North Tonawanda have approved temporary moratoriums, while the Town of Dryden has enacted a ban on new data centers. Monroe County has also approved a resolution supporting a statewide moratorium.
On Long Island, the Town of Brookhaven is scheduled to consider an 18-month moratorium during its July 16 Town Board meeting.
Earlier this month, the New York State Legislature passed legislation that would establish a one-year statewide moratorium on new data center construction. The bill now awaits Governor Hochul’s signature. If enacted, municipalities such as East Fishkill would still be permitted to maintain longer local moratoriums.
Advocates also noted that Congressman Mike Lawler’s district includes several proposed data center projects, including sites in East Fishkill, Orangeburg, and at the former Indian Point Energy Center in Buchanan. They criticized the congressman for not supporting a federal moratorium proposal introduced by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Opposition to artificial intelligence data centers has increased in communities across New York and the country as residents raise concerns about noise pollution, increased water usage, rising electricity demand, grid reliability, and other potential environmental impacts. Developers and industry groups, meanwhile, argue that data centers are critical infrastructure needed to support the growing demand for cloud computing and artificial intelligence technologies, while also creating jobs and generating local tax revenue.
The East Fishkill moratorium temporarily pauses consideration of new data center proposals while town officials evaluate future regulations governing the rapidly expanding industry.
