New York lawmakers have proposed a three-year moratorium on new data centers.

New York state lawmakers have introduced a bill that would impose a minimum three-year moratorium on permits related to the construction and operation of new data centers. The prospects for the bill are uncertain, but Wired reports that New York is at least the sixth state to consider pausing new data center construction.

As technology companies plan to spend increasingly more money to build AI infrastructure, both Democrats and Republicans have expressed concerns about the impact those data centers could have on surrounding communities. Studies have shown that data centers are also linked to increased home electricity bills.

Critics include progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders, who has called for a national moratorium, and conservative Florida Gov. Ron De Santis. He said data centers “will have higher energy costs so that some chatbot can corrupt 13-year-olds online.”

More than 230 environmental groups, including Food & Water Watch, Friends of the Earth, and Greenpeace, recently signed an open letter to Congress calling for a national moratorium on new data center construction.

Food & Water Watch’s Eric Weltman told Wired that the New York bill, introduced by state Sen. Liz Krueger and Assemblywoman Anna Kelles, both Democrats, was “our idea.” Democrats in Georgia, Vermont and Virginia have also proposed data center moratoriums, while Republicans have backed similar bills in Maryland and Oklahoma.

According to Politico, Krueger described his state as “completely unprepared” for the “massive data centers” that are “going after New York.”

“Now is the time to press the pause button, free up space to adopt strong policies for data centers, and ensure that New York’s utility customers don’t end up in a bubble that will cost them dearly,” she said.

Last month, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced a new initiative called Energize NY Development. Her office said she would require large energy users (such as data centers) to “pay their fair share” while modernizing the way they connect to the grid.