Congressman Josh Riley, a Democrat from New York’s 19th Congressional District, has introduced a bill aimed at holding down energy costs.
Riley’s bill, the FAIR Data Act, targets data centers, and was introduced before Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order blocking most data center expansion for one year.
Riley says he welcomes the governor’s order because it will allow for time to establish the regulations his legislation calls for. Part of that is creating a system to evaluate developers’ claims that data centers will create jobs and cut utility bills.
"If you come in and you promise one thing, and it turns out to be something else, we're going to hold you accountable for it," Riley said.
The bill would also require approved data center construction projects to cover all costs for updating the power grid to accommodate the new facility.
Some organized labor groups have opposed the governor’s executive order, saying data center construction creates union jobs. Riley says he wants more work for union members – but on housing projects.
"We should have our trades working around the clock, building the housing we need," said Riley. "Our community needs it. It'll lower costs. It'll help people get back into the middle class. Whereas if we're building massive data centers, all it's doing is jacking up prices on folks."