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NY Assembly Votes AI Data-Center Moratorium, Renewable, Union Rules

6/5/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie announced a vote on a one-year moratorium on new AI data-center construction.
The bill requires an 18-month impact study and public hearings before any permits are issued.
It also mandates developers secure one-third renewable electricity by 2030, two-thirds by 2035, and bargain with construction unions under prevailing-wage rules.
Public Utility Law Project executive Laura Wheelock warned that rapid data-center expansion could raise consumer utility rates.

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Story summary

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie announced a vote on a one-year moratorium on new AI data-center construction.
The bill requires an 18-month impact study and public hearings before any permits are issued.
It also mandates developers secure one-third renewable electricity by 2030, two-thirds by 2035, and bargain with construction unions under prevailing-wage rules.
Public Utility Law Project executive Laura Wheelock warned that rapid data-center expansion could raise consumer utility rates.