{"id":4806,"date":"2026-07-18T22:38:24","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T22:38:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=4806"},"modified":"2026-07-18T22:38:24","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T22:38:24","slug":"hochul-backed-ny-data-center-ban-to-satisfy-dsa-other-far-left-dems-during-re-election-bid-critics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=4806","title":{"rendered":"Hochul backed NY data-center ban to satisfy DSA, other far-left Dems during re-election bid: critics"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Gov. Kathy Hochul caved to Democrat socialists when she made New York the first state to stop construction of large data centers, critics told The Post.<\/p>\n

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Hochul signed an executive order Tuesday enacting a one-year statewide moratorium on new \u201chyperscale\u201d data centers that need at least 50 megawatts of power to run \u2014 bending the knee to the Democratic Socialists of America, which has made the hubs a big focus of campaigns across the country.<\/p>\n

DSA chapters in Seattle, Portland and other parts of the US are organizing against data-center developments, claiming they push a Big Tech agenda that includes support for Israel and citing concerns over water consumption and the massive energy needed to operate them.<\/p>\n

Longtime socialist organizer and Occupy Wall Street vet Astra Taylor declared the anti-data-center push \u201cone of the biggest political opportunities that I\u2019ve personally ever seen\u201d during a June 21 DSA Ecosocialism\u00a0virtual event, gloating the far-left opposition is \u201ctaking this moment by storm.\u201d<\/p>\n

Albany was the first to buckle in large part because of the far-left\u2019s rising clout on the lobbying and legislative front, said Stu Smith, an analyst for the Manhattan Institute who has studied the DSA\u2019s surging opposition to the centers.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s silly because there are definitely people in New York City trying to make it the AI capital of the world,\u201d he said. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cNew York is really shooting itself in the foot by [imposing the moratorium].\u201d<\/p>\n

The pause on new permits conveniently comes with Hochul in the midst of a reelection, as she tries to balance placating far lefties while also satisfying her moderate Dem base, according to critics.<\/p>\n

Hochul even drew rave reviews from state Sen. Kristen Gonzalez \u2014 the card-carrying DSA member who represents parts of Queens, Manhattan and Brooklyn, and sponsored the moratorium legislation, called the \u201cResponsible Data Center Development Act.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTechnology should make our lives better, not pollute our water, strain our energy grid, or drive up our utility bills,\u201d Gonzalez said Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Hochul has claimed she pursued a middle-ground between protecting the state \u2014 and its already-strained power grid \u2014 and helping to incubate the rapidly developing AI industry.<\/p>\n

Read more England coach Thomas Tuchel fires back at President Trump after World Cup criticism<\/a><\/p>\n

But the Empire State needs to only look south to Loudoun County, Virginia, to see what riches it\u2019s missing out on to satisfy socialists, said Smith.<\/p>\n

Loudoun handles 70% of the world\u2019s daily internet traffic and is home to roughly 250 data centers. <\/p>\n

Often called \u201cData Center Alley,\u201d the industry has made Loudoun one of the wealthiest regions in the US, as data centers make up only 3% of the county\u2019s land but generate a whopping $1.3 billion in local property tax revenue.<\/p>\n

Others critical of the move include President Trump and the Data Center Coalition, which claims a yearlong moratorium will \u201cundermine New York\u2019s economy and send a signal that the state is closed for business.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Hochul spokesperson Jennifer Goodman, said anyone suggesting the governor supported the moratorium to cater to far-left pols \u201cis disconnected from reality,\u201d citing a recent Gallup poll showing 7 in 10 Americans oppose the construction of AI data centers in their neighborhoods.<\/p>\n

\u201cGov. Hochul heard those concerns and took nation-leading action to protect New Yorkers, their utility bills, and their land and water \u2013 demonstrating that you can lead on AI innovation while putting people first,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

New York Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman \u2014 who supports data-center industry expansion \u2014 accused Hochul of backing the moratorium because she thinks it\u2019ll score her political capital, and votes, with the far left.<\/p>\n

\u201cKathy Hochul will always put the interests of [NYC Mayor] Zohran Mamdani and big-government socialists ahead of New Yorkers, even if it means blocking economic opportunity while families struggle under the nation\u2019s highest taxes and utility bills,\u201d he told The Post.<\/p>\n

Read more Lionel Messi explains baby photo with Lamine Yamal<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gov. Kathy Hochul and other Dems caved to socialists and the rest of the party’s far-left faction by making New York the first US state to pause construction of large data centers, critics said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4805,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4806","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-metro"],"yoast_head":"\nHochul backed NY data-center ban to satisfy DSA, other far-left Dems during re-election bid: critics - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=4806\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Hochul backed NY data-center ban to satisfy DSA, other far-left Dems during re-election bid: critics - Metro Transit Review\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Gov. 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