FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, September 1, 2026
Contact: Harrison Carpenter-Neuhaus, info@publicpowerny.org, 786-214-1204
REPORTS SHOW GOVERNOR HOCHUL PRIORITIZING DATA CENTERS & FOSSIL FUEL LOBBY, DEEPENING AFFORDABILITY CRISIS
Two new reports show Hochul’s energy policies favor Big Tech and fossil fuel interests, fueling rising electricity prices.
NEW YORK – Recent reporting shows that Governor Hochul’s energy policy is delivering economic benefits for data center owners and the fossil fuel industry, while ignoring public renewable energy solutions to cut utility bills as New Yorkers grapple with rising energy prices.
A report released last week found that the Hochul administration is offering data centers in Rockland County electricity at a roughly 95% discount compared to the average rates that New York households pay. Meanwhile, reporting in The Lever on Monday revealed that a gas industry PR group claimed credit at a fossil fuel industry conference in April for flipping Hochul’s position in favor of new gas pipelines.
“While New Yorkers are paying more than ever on their utility bills, Governor Hochul is focused on giving handouts to the fossil fuel industry and Big Tech. These reports show where the governor’s priorities really lie, and they’re not with the everyday New Yorkers struggling to keep the lights on every month,” said Alex Patterson, Campaign Coordinator for Public Power New York. “If Governor Hochul really believes energy affordability is more than just an excuse to do the gas industry’s bidding, she should focus on building public renewable energy projects that could directly lower monthly bills for the New Yorkers who need it most.”
While Hochul often claims her energy decisions are based on concern for affordability, these policies risk worsening the energy affordability crisis. The proliferation of data centers – even despite the governor’s partial moratorium – is fueling massive new pressure on New York’s energy grid and pushing up prices. But meeting rising demand with gas will only worsen the affordability crisis. Experts, including New York’s grid operator, have affirmed that surging fossil gas prices were the main cause of exorbitant electricity prices this winter, and gas-powered “peaker” plants remain some the most expensive sources of electricity on New York’s power grid. Deepening reliance on these energy sources will drive electricity prices higher.
Meanwhile, the governor continues to ignore opportunities to deliver lower electricity prices to the New Yorkers who need it most by accelerating public renewable energy development. Expanding New York’s energy supply with low-cost, publicly-developed renewable energy would reduce reliance on expensive and polluting fossil fuels. Additionally, the New York Power Authority’s REACH program can deliver utility bill discounts to residential customers who need it most, and the more NYPA projects are developed, the more New Yorkers can benefit from the program.
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About Public Power NY
The Public Power NY Coalition is a statewide movement of community and advocacy organizations fighting for an environmentally sustainable energy system that’s also racially, socially, and economically just. We believe energy and a habitable planet are human rights, and that we need to avert the climate crisis by eliminating the use of fossil fuels and transitioning to 100 percent renewable energy. We aim to accomplish these goals by taking over our for-profit energy system and bringing it under public, not-for-profit, local, and democratic ownership and management.