New York Becomes First U.S. State to Impose a Statewide Data Center Moratorium

On July 14, 2026, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed Executive Order No. 62, establishing the first statewide moratorium on new hyperscale data centers in the United States. The order temporarily pauses state environmental permits for one year for data centers that “consume or can consume” 50 megawatts or more of energy while the state develops what the Governor’s office described as a “nation-leading regulatory framework” for data center development. 

The action comes amid unprecedented demand: as of May 2026, nearly 12 gigawatts of data center load requests are in the New York Independent System Operator interconnection queue, with more than 8 gigawatts entering in 2025 alone. New York’s action reflects a broader national trend — more than 300 data center-related bills have been filed across more than 30 states in 2026, and over 100 local moratoriums have been adopted nationwide.

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