On this episode of Closed!, Lee sits down with NY State Senator Kristen Gonzalez, who represents District 59 in Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan and serves as Chair of the Senate Internet and Technology Committee, to discuss her sponsorship of the Responsible Data Center Development Act. Senator Gonzalez breaks down why data centers have become such a pressing issue in New York, particularly as large language models and generative AI drive demand for hyperscale facilities that consume great amounts of energy and water. She explains the intentions behind the bill towards understanding the broader impact of large-scale data center development on New York’s energy grid, utility bills, environmental resources, and local communities. The conversation also covers what it means for New York to become the first state to pass a statewide data center moratorium, why community benefit agreements and labor standards matter, how local governments are facing pressure from major technology companies, and why Senator Gonzalez believes responsible planning is necessary to support innovation without placing the burden on everyday New Yorkers. To learn more about Senator Kristen Gonzalez and her work, visit nysenate.gov or follow her official account, @SenGonzalezNY. To learn more about Lee and Bergstein Flynn Knowlton &amp; Pollina PLLC, visit bfkplaw.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. To find out more about Bergstein Flynn Knowlton &amp; Pollina PLLC, visit our website at bfkplaw.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New York's Data Center Moratorium (with State Senator Kristen Gonzalez)

Closed! NYC's Real Estate Podcast

Welcome to another episode of Closed. Today, we are thrilled to be joined by, recently displaced from her office, New York State Senator Kristen Gonzalez. She represents the 59th Senate District covering parts of Western Queens, Northern Brooklyn, and the East Side of Manhattan. She also serves as the chair of the Senate Internet and Technology Committee, pretty important committee these days.

And why she's here today was her sponsorship of the Responsible Data Center Development Act, which passed the State Senate 44 to 16 in the Assembly 102 to 39, a pretty bipartisan passage or relatively bipartisan passage. That's pretty impressive these days. So it makes New York the first state in the nation to pass a statewide data center moratorium. And now we'll see if the governor signs it. But first off, Senator, thanks for joining us.

Thanks for having me. And yes, as we were talking about, my office, unfortunately, was right next to the Pfizer building. So it's nice to be here in your office today. Yeah, well, hopefully by the time this episode airs, that's figured out because, right, we're sitting here July 8th. Yeah. Yesterday, we're not going to talk about this, but I think it's interesting for people who are listening.

The former Pfizer building, which is being converted to residential, might be falling down. So it's been evacuated and various offices in the vicinity have been evacuated, including yours. Yes. Yeah, they saw that there obviously were a lot of videos yesterday. I think we all saw of some of the breaking in the pillars. But, you know, I think we've been so excited about office to residential and we need more affordable housing in the city.

New York's Data Center Moratorium (with State Senator Kristen Gonzalez)

Read the full transcript

The candid version is on a podcast,
not the earnings call.

New York's Data Center Moratorium (with State Senator Kristen Gonzalez)

Read the full transcript

The candid version is on a podcast, not the earnings call.

The candid version is on a podcast,
not the earnings call.