New York lawmakers pass one-year ban on new data centers
New York lawmakers pass one-year ban on new data centers
纽约州立法者通过针对新建数据中心的为期一年禁令
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. 纽约州议会通过了一项针对新建大型数据中心的为期一年的暂停令。如果民主党州长凯西·霍楚尔（Kathy Hochul）签署该法案使其生效，这将成为美国首个此类州级禁令。
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. 该法案的起草议员表示，此举旨在让政策制定者有时间了解大型数据中心对环境和能源价格的影响。法案指示州环境机构编制一份影响报告，评估数据中心所消耗的电力、水资源和土地，以及它们所产生的污染。
It also requires companies planning to build large data centers — defined as having a peak demand of at least 20 megawatts — to hold and fund a public hearing at least three months before it’s able to gain approval for the project. Hochul has not said whether she will sign the bill, and has until December to decide whether to sign or veto it, according to Bloomberg Government. 法案还要求计划建设大型数据中心（定义为峰值需求至少为 20 兆瓦）的公司，在获得项目批准前至少三个月举行并资助一场公开听证会。据彭博政府（Bloomberg Government）报道，霍楚尔尚未表态是否会签署该法案，她必须在 12 月之前决定是签署还是否决。
Surveys show that most Americans oppose the idea of data centers in their communities, and heated public meetings across the country have shown it to be a galvanizing issue across the political spectrum. Earlier this year, Maine’s legislature passed a bill that would have banned new data centers until late 2027, but Democratic Governor Janet Mills vetoed it because it failed to include an exemption to a previously planned project, according to The New York Times. 调查显示，大多数美国人反对在社区内建设数据中心，全国各地激烈的公开会议表明，这是一个跨越政治光谱的敏感议题。据《纽约时报》报道，今年早些时候，缅因州议会曾通过一项法案，旨在禁止新建数据中心直至 2027 年底，但民主党州长珍妮特·米尔斯（Janet Mills）否决了该法案，原因是其中未包含对先前规划项目的豁免条款。
The New York Independent System Operator, a nonpartisan entity tasked with maintaining electric grid reliability, has said it’s currently reviewing 24 data center proposals totaling over 9,000 megawatts, according to News10 ABC, and a proposed 180 megawatt project in Albany has drawn concerns from residents. 据 News10 ABC 报道，负责维护电网可靠性的无党派实体“纽约独立系统运营商”（New York Independent System Operator）表示，目前正在审查 24 个数据中心提案，总容量超过 9,000 兆瓦；其中，奥尔巴尼（Albany）一个拟建的 180 兆瓦项目已引起了当地居民的担忧。
The New York bill is a shorter moratorium than the three-year proposal that was previously introduced, according to Politico. But even the one year pause has garnered pushback from industry groups. Stacey Sikes, acting president and CEO of business group the Long Island Association, told Politico the moratorium would “overall be damaging to the state’s economy, because having a blanket moratorium instead of looking at it at a case by case basis would not allow the state to move forward on a data center project that would actually be helpful to our economy.” 据《政客》（Politico）报道，纽约州的这项法案比此前提出的三年暂停期要短。但即便是一年的暂停也遭到了行业团体的抵制。商业组织“长岛协会”（Long Island Association）代理总裁兼首席执行官斯泰西·赛克斯（Stacey Sikes）告诉《政客》，该暂停令“总体上将损害州经济，因为采取一刀切的暂停措施，而不是逐案审查，将导致州政府无法推进那些实际上对我们经济有益的数据中心项目。”
Hochul spokesperson Kristin Devoe told The Verge, “The Governor will review the bill.” 霍楚尔的发言人克里斯汀·德沃（Kristin Devoe）告诉《The Verge》：“州长将审议该法案。”