Donald Trump took aim at New York Governor Kathy Hochul this week after she signed an executive order halting construction of large-scale data centers for one year—the first statewide moratorium of its kind in the U.S. The president posted on Truth Social that the decision was “terrible,” accusing Hochul of acting for political reasons and urging her to scrap the policy immediately.

The executive order, signed Tuesday, directs state regulators to develop environmental standards for hyperscale facilities, which power artificial intelligence and consume vast amounts of energy and water. Hochul said the pause is needed to protect New York’s energy grid, water supply, and land from disruption. “This pause will remain in place for up to one year while we establish the strongest possible framework,” she said. The move comes as a Heatmap poll found nearly three-quarters of Americans oppose having a data center built near their homes, citing concerns about rising utility bills and environmental harm.

Trump, who has pushed for deregulation around AI during his second term, argued that data centers are economic engines that generate jobs and tax revenue. He wrote that they should pay for their own water and power rather than receive tax breaks, calling the revenue “liquid gold.” He warned that New York’s moratorium could push data center projects to red states—or even to China. Seattle approved a similar one-year ban in June, and more than a dozen states have considered such measures as public backlash grows. The president was scheduled to later attend a defense summit at the U.S. Army War College.

Source: The Guardian