An Executive Order is just the beginning for New York. The statewide network of organizations that pushed for the conditions resulting in an Executive Order regulating data centers met for the first time after Governor Hochul’s actions for a day of strategy sessions in Albany on September 9.
They talked through the landscape of tech money in New York, the contents of the Executive Order and how it differed from the legislation the coalition initially drafted, and patterns in site fights across the state. Then they moved from vision into strategy.
There’s broad consensus that the Executive Order does not go far enough. It’s not a ban, and organizers want to make that distinction known, and push for real protections. The coalition is ready to absorb new people: from surveillance tech fights, more downstate allies, and people newly activated by data center momentum.
What’s next?
Find MediaJustice discussing the role of moratoriums and bans in fighting for climate justice in New York at Climate Week on Monday, September 21st at 6:00 PM ET.
We’ll be joined by organizers in frontline environmental justice fights from New York, Michigan, and Alabama alongside The Solutions Project and Paris Marx.
