New York’s leading Republican lawmakers are demanding the New York Power Authority reveal just how much of a break it’s giving data centers on their energy bills.
Assembly Republicans, in a letter to NYPA President and CEO Justin Driscoll, question why the authority has been reluctant to reveal the level of discounts data centers across the state have secured through its ReCharge program.
“We recognize that the use of financial incentives can be a useful tool in attracting new businesses and facilitating economic growth,” the lawmakers wrote in recent letter. “In highly technical arrangements, sensitive information should be protected. However, given the growing public interest in New York’s energy policy, costs concerns, and the future reliability
of the grid, we encourage NYPA to provide greater clarity on the financial commitments made to data centers.”
On Sept. 16, the USA TODAY Network revealed that five data centers across the state, including three in Rockland County, had been awarded discount power deals through NYPA's ReCharge program. But NYPA has refused to say what it charges the data centers and others, claiming the details are proprietary customer information.
Hochul appoints NYPA board
NYPA’s seven trustees are appointed by Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, who in July ordered a one-year moratorium on large-scale data centers and is considering measures to ban tax breaks they’ve received.
Data centers have become an issue in the governor’s race with Hochul’s Republican challenger, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, saying the moratorium “took (upstate New Yorkers’) right away to make decisions about data centers.”
Among those signing the Driscoll letter were Assembly Minority Leader Ed Ra and Scott Ray, a ranking member of the Energy Committee.
“Data centers present a substantially different economic profile from many traditional program recipients,” they write. “Their unique characteristics warrant a clear accounting of whether each allocation is providing New Yorkers with an adequate return.”
Thomas C. Zambito covers energy, transportation and economic growth for the USA TODAY Network’s New York State team. He’s won dozens of state and national writing awards from the Associated Press, Investigative Reporters and Editors, the Deadline Club and others during a decades-long career that’s included stops at the New York Daily News, The Star-Ledger of Newark and The Record of Hackensack. He can be reached at tzambito@lohud.com
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: NY GOP lawmakers push NYPA for details on data center energy discounts
