Islip considers an 18-month data center moratorium

Islip is considering an 18-month townwide ban on new data centers that are being used to fuel the rising demand for artificial intelligence, according to a town board resolution that passed Tuesday.

The five-member board voted 4-1 to schedule a public hearing on the ban for Aug. 11, when residents will have a chance to weigh in before elected officials vote on the proposal. Republican Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter cast the sole vote against the hearing, citing concerns that the ban would conflict with existing town and state rules.

On Tuesday, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced an executive order implementing a statewide moratorium on data centers, Newsday reported. That ban will be in place for one year and apply only to data centers that exceed 50 megawatts.

The Islip ban would give local officials more time to craft new data center regulations, according to the town’s resolution. The proposal specifically notes concerns ranging from land use to water consumption and energy demands. 

"The data centers are a topic that needs to be discussed and understood," said Conservative Councilman John Lorenzo, who voted in favor of scheduling the moratorium hearing. "We have to be able to define data centers in our code. It's just something we have to pump the brakes on until we have the right information."

Carpenter, before voting against the resolution, said, "It's my understanding, from advice I was given, that this doesn't really comply with town code or New York State code." The supervisor did not elaborate further on the dais, and neither she nor Islip Town's press office immediately responded to Newsday's request for comment. 

Data centers are needed to power artificial intelligence services, which require substantial amounts of computing power. But the centers have prompted opposition from residents across the country.

Hochul has said the state moratorium will allow time for New York to implement regulations and address concerns about how the centers will impact everything from energy usage and bills to the environment and quality of life for nearby residents.

Officials in more than a dozen other states are weighing data center bans, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, Newsday previously reported. And Islip’s proposal coincides with a similar policy under consideration in Brookhaven, where local leaders are expected to take action Thursday. 

Islip specifically cites the power usage of the data centers, which the resolution said can “consume 10 to 50 times the energy per floor space of typical commercial use buildings.”

Islip’s proposal calls for the establishment of a slew of regulations for future data centers. They range from “comprehensive land use regulations” to mitigating issues related to noise and the impact on the “visual character” of communities that house the centers.

The town resolution also mentions addressing any heat, water and energy consumption impacts of the centers.

And the resolution calls for a way to “consider opportunities for energy efficiency, renewable energy integration, and resource management,” as well as to “promote safe, secure, and efficient facility operation.”

By Sam Kmack

sam.kmack@newsday.com

Sam Kmack covers the Town of Islip for Newsday. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California and previously worked as a city watchdog reporter in the Phoenix metro area, as well as an investigative journalist at the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting.