Gov. Kathy Hochul says New York "has to lead" on 1-year, large-scale data center ban

[0:00] go now to the governor of new york kathy hochel good morning to you governor good morning you've [0:07] got a big day world cup finals in nearby new jersey i know you'll be attending those so will [0:12] the president of the united states the president of mexico the canadian prime minister given the [0:17] threat environment are you confident in the security measures absolutely we've worked so [0:23] close with our federal state and local partners in law enforcement we have been preparing for this [0:28] for literally over a year over a thousand exercises table topping all the scenarios so we're with the [0:35] best and particularly with nypd the the world's greatest police force i feel very confident in [0:41] our security and we're so happy to welcome the eyes of the world the entire planet is going to be [0:46] watching what is happening right here in the new york city area so it's exciting very exciting time [0:51] for us truly billions watching and we will be too um governor i want to ask you about a decision that [0:57] you made this past week that made very big headlines you signed an executive order to ban [1:03] large-scale data centers for a year these are those big buildings that help to power artificial [1:10] intelligence technology centers it was just a few months ago you said data centers were a local [1:16] decision for municipalities what what changed for you i would say what changed was talking to the [1:22] localities and realizing they don't have the negotiating ability to or have the clout to be able to [1:28] demand that their communities benefit from this in a more dramatic way they also don't have the [1:32] ability to insist that these companies bring their own power or pay more for the grid they don't have an [1:38] ability to say no to tax breaks and so i decided that i could do much more especially in this actually [1:45] flooding the zone is what's happening now we have over 30 applicants so in a very short time i changed my [1:51] position saying you know what the state has to lead here but it's not about being the first it's about being [1:56] the first to get it right and we will get it right over the course of this year and help those localities [2:02] negotiate the right way make sure keeping track of how much water is being consumed doing a study of [2:08] that during this year but also insisting that these companies and they're welcome with the conditions and [2:14] the rules that we set forth that they also contribute to the larger grid because this is a huge tax on our grid [2:22] and i want to make sure that the power is there our limited power is there for the large companies [2:26] that are creating jobs like the micron that we recruited here with 50 000 jobs so we'll get the [2:32] right balance but i'll tell you this people want protection new yorkers want protection there's a lot [2:38] of anxiety companies want certainty we'll give them both well governors from red states like missouri montana [2:46] wyoming they signed this white house rate payer protection pledge which i guess has ai data centers [2:53] sign on to promising not to increase consumer prices like companies ai open ai and amazon say they'll help [3:01] cover the cost of infrastructure upgrades have you talked to companies these companies about doing the [3:07] same in new york why isn't a white house pledge like that sufficient uh asking these companies to keep [3:15] their word on how much they're going to consume um i'm more realistic than i have perhaps i'm willing [3:21] to say i will get it right in new york we'll work with the companies but also and we're open to ai [3:26] absolutely this is a a place for innovation is welcome and celebrated i but my view is if you're going [3:33] to succeed in new york because of our talent and our resources and our people i want to make sure that [3:39] new yorkers succeed as well so it's not a one-way street i don't want the companies coming in and [3:44] telling us how to do things in our state yeah but there could be they could be welcome when i lay [3:49] out the rules of the war world of the road which they will embrace i mean once they know how to play [3:54] the game how to do things in new york they'll want to come but i need some breathing room so my agencies [3:59] i've got seven agencies dedicated to different elements of this the economic development benefits [4:04] for communities how we manage how much they're going to be consuming in water how we make sure that [4:09] i mean just to say make sure the ratepayers don't pay more how do you enforce that i'm more [4:14] realistic i want to get things done and make it really be effective it sounds like you want [4:19] evidence to help get you to yes but in the meantime you are hearing concerns from unions for example [4:24] that this is going to turn away jobs and that it'll send a signal that new york is not a place for [4:30] companies to invest long term how do you address that that's not the right conclusion from what i've [4:36] done we've been very clear and as someone who's created more union jobs in this state than anybody in [4:41] history the largest private sector development in american history is going on right now with this [4:47] micron that is 20 years of union jobs building this we also have tens of thousands of union jobs over [4:54] years of building the gateway tunnel which was stymied stuck not happening until i until i unstuck it [5:01] so i've got more jobs for union members they don't have to worry about my commitment to their jobs but [5:07] wouldn't they be rather building jobs that there's jobs that remain after the construction season is [5:12] over that the project is built that we actually have people their neighbors communities people actually [5:17] working in those buildings with long-term good paying jobs and not just focused on construction which [5:22] is very important so i'm asking everybody to say take a breath this is not the end of the world [5:28] we'll get through this and new york always leads in a smart way and that's what i'm really proud of what we're [5:34] doing here i want to ask you about election security we're about 100 days out from election day [5:40] states administer the elections in this country not the federal government [5:44] are you getting the kind of election security resources your state has gotten in the last [5:49] few years do you have what you need no the federal government has basically been dismantling all [5:55] the protections that we've come to rely on to protect this core essence of our democracy the [6:00] knowledge that when you cast that vote that that citizens right that obligation to determine who [6:06] our leaders are that it is uncompromised it is not being challenged by the federal government just [6:12] because they're so worried about the upcoming results that is exactly what is happening i want [6:17] everyone to focus on that yes we passed the john wrights voting act we have the toughest protections [6:22] in the country and just recently i signed a law many many protections against what ice is doing [6:29] to say ice agents cannot show up at polling places can you see this scenario black and brown communities [6:36] across our country and in new york where they're all of a sudden on election day to create that fear [6:41] factor and intimidation factor that they're so good at i do not want to see that compromise the validity [6:48] of our election so what donald trump is doing right now is throwing out the biggest red herring you'd [6:54] ever see and questioning the the actual results that are happening so we're working hard on this [7:00] here i'll make sure that we are protected but i can't count on the federal government for any [7:05] anything in this space because they're compromised under federal law armed agents are not supposed to be [7:10] at election centers uh the attorney general nominee uh todd blanche said he'd follow the law but it sounds [7:16] like you are still concerned that that might happen um have you they don't follow the law very much at all [7:23] margaret they don't follow the law much at all so again uh trust but verify i'm going to verify [7:28] and ensure that new york state is doing it right i don't trust that they're going to say this because [7:33] what happens is they say the day after like oh well we didn't mean to do it and oh sorry about that [7:39] you know these are people go around killing individuals in our streets so i they have no [7:42] credibility with me when they say anything we will uh speak to um the white house about that topic shortly [7:49] thank you very much governor