HOPEWELL JUNCTION – Governor Kathy Hochul joined Congressional members Pat Ryan (D, NY-18) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D, NY-14), along with other elected officials, at Tuesday to hear concerns about the future of data centers in New York.  Several months ago, near the sprawling Fishkill Farm, an entity considered building a 100-megawatt data center on a piece of land.  Prompted by concerned citizens, the Town of East Fishkill enacted a moratorium on data centers in town, slowing the company’s consideration of the venture.  Data centers are an integral part of the AI technology that continues to evolve.

Shortly after, Governor Hochul enacted a statewide moratorium, the first in the nation, on data centers to allow the impacts to be studied.

Data centers require enormous amounts of electricity and water to operate, raising concerns for neighbors who rely on wells for their water supply.  Fishkill Farm is one of those neighbors, and owner Josh Morgenthau expressed his concerns.  Noting that his fruit and vegetable crops need water and sun to thrive, “a million-gallon-plus data center a quarter -mile from our border would create difficulties,” he said, noting that he relies on a well and water from two local creeks on the property.  His concern is that during droughts, his well has run dry in the past, and water consumed by a data center would burden it.

Congressman Ryan said the data centers issue transcends all the country’s current divides, noting that moratoriums have bipartisan support.  “There is just no way we are going to let anybody come in here and literally poison our water, drive up our energy costs, and then use that technology to potentially affect humankind.  It’s just not going to happen.”

Hochul, Ryan, and all but one panelist agreed that large-scale data centers would burden local communities.  Panelist Michael Romita, Executive Director of the Westchester County Association, said the region needs data centers.  IBM is planning to build a multi-billion-dollar Quantum computing facility in the Town of Poughkeepsie, and Romita said a data center is a necessary component.  “Quantum computing relies on the Cloud, and the cloud needs data centers to function.  “If a Cloud facility relocates to a region that allows data centers, Quantum computing will go with them,” he warned.  .



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