Governor Hochul’s Executive Order is just the beginning for New York. The statewide network of organizations that organized for Hochul’s Executive Order regulating data centers met for the first time after the announcement for a day of strategy sessions in Albany on September 9th.
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.
One thing was certain: the Executive Order does not go far enough since it’s not a ban. Organizers want to make that distinction clear, and push for real, long-lasting protections. The coalition is ready to absorb new people: from surveillance tech fights, more downstate allies, and newly-activated people by data center momentum.
What’s next?
Find MediaJustice at New York Climate Week on Monday, September 21st at 6:00 PM ET discussing the role of moratoriums and bans in the climate justice movement.
We’ll be joined by organizers in frontline environmental justice fights from New York, Michigan, and Alabama alongside The Solutions Project and Paris Marx.
