The New York State legislature passed a one-year moratorium on new large data centers, the first statewide ban of its kind if Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul signs it into law.
Lawmakers behind the bill say it's meant to give policymakers time to understand the impact of large data centers on the environment and energy prices. It directs the state's environmental agency to create an impact report assessing the amount of electricity, water, and land that data centers use, and the pollution they create. It also requires companies planning to build large data centers - defined as having a peak demand of at least 20 megawatts - to hold and fun …