{"id":17938,"date":"2026-08-18T15:28:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T15:28:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nile1.com\/en\/?p=17938"},"modified":"2026-08-18T15:28:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T15:28:25","slug":"lawler-targets-hochul-energy-rules-as-new-york-out-migration-continues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nile1.com\/en\/2026\/08\/18\/lawler-targets-hochul-energy-rules-as-new-york-out-migration-continues\/","title":{"rendered":"Lawler Targets Hochul Energy Rules as New York Out-Migration Continues"},"content":{"rendered":"

Data from New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli\u2019s office reveals that the state has suffered a continuous net loss of part-year resident tax filers annually since 2015. During 2024, a total of 134,913 part-year resident filers relocated out of New York, whereas 121,251 moved into the state, generating a net outflow of 13,662 filers. Although this departure rate reflects a noticeable deceleration from the heightened movement recorded during the peak of the pandemic, the outward drain of taxpayers remains a persistent financial headwind.<\/p>\n

According to figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, New York lost more population to net domestic migration than any other state between 2020 and 2023, shedding over 650,000 residents in total. Economic analysis from the Tax Foundation ranks New York 49th on its State Business Tax Climate Index, pointing to top individual income tax rates that reach 10.9% and combined local taxes in New York City that push past 14.8%, creating a stark cost contrast with zero-income-tax destination states.<\/p>\n

The state’s broader commercial posture has re-entered sharp public focus following Governor Kathy Hochul<\/a>‘s decision to institute a pause on new hyperscale data centers. The executive action has intensified ongoing disagreements regarding whether New York’s current regulatory and energy frameworks are steering corporate investment and capital development toward rival jurisdictions.<\/p>\n

Governor Hochul instituted the temporary statewide moratorium\u2014which could span up to twelve months\u2014on July 14, targeting state environmental permits for new hyperscale data centers. State officials indicated the temporary freeze is designed to allow regulators time to construct a regulatory framework that safeguards residential utility customers while evaluating the substantial power grid and infrastructure demands imposed by these massive computing facilities.<\/p>\n

Hyperscale facilities, which house tens of thousands of servers driving artificial intelligence and cloud computing workloads, require immense power draws often ranging from 100 megawatts to over a gigawatt per campus\u2014equivalent to the power needs of hundreds of thousands of homes. The International Energy Agency projects global electricity consumption from data centers will double by 2026, posing severe grid-management challenges for states like New York, which operates under the mandatory targets of its Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act requiring 70% renewable electricity by 2030 and 100% zero-emission power by 2040.<\/p>\n

In response to these policy decisions, U.S. Representative Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., appeared on FOX Business’ “Mornings with Maria” alongside host Cheryl Casone to critique the state’s strategic direction, focusing on electrical grid management, commercial conditions, and taxpayer displacement.<\/p>\n

During the interview, Congressman Lawler sharply denounced Governor Hochul’s energy mandates and the temporary data center freeze. The lawmaker warned that state-level prohibitions on natural gas<\/a> infrastructure combined with the retirement of nuclear power plants have elevated consumer energy bills dramatically while compelling commercial operations to relocate elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Lawler’s critiques reference the 2021 shutdown of the Indian Point Energy Center in Westchester County, a nuclear facility that previously generated approximately 25% of the electricity consumed in New York City and Westchester. Following its decommissioning, energy grid operators in New York relied more heavily on downstate natural gas plants to meet baseline demand. Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration demonstrates that New York commercial electricity prices averaged over 18 cents per kilowatt-hour in recent years, significantly exceeding the national commercial average of approximately 12.5 cents per kilowatt-hour.<\/p>\n

Lawler asserted that halting environmental permits for data center expansion projects projects a highly discouraging signal to major corporate enterprises evaluating potential capital allocations within the state.<\/p>\n

“What she is saying is, don’t come here. Go do your business elsewhere, which is why New York State leads the nation in out-migration,” Lawler stated during the broadcast. “It’s why it is a terrible place to do business and why people are expanding in Florida and Texas and Tennessee and North Carolina and South Carolina and elsewhere. We have the highest tax burden and the worst business climate.”<\/p>\n

The Republican congressman directly correlated the state’s economic headwinds with its clean-energy mandates, specifically citing the forced retirement of nuclear generators, strict limits on natural gas pipeline expansions, and newly enacted building electrification mandates.<\/p>\n

The electrification requirements highlighted by critics include New York’s All-Electric Buildings Act, passed in 2023, which makes New York the first state in the nation to prohibit fossil fuel heating and appliances in most new residential and commercial buildings under seven stories starting in 2026. Business groups and utility providers have raised concerns over whether the state’s winter peak electric capacity can handle the massive shift from natural gas heating to electric heat pumps without substantial infrastructure investments.<\/p>\n

“If you want to address these problems, you need to have a coherent economic and energy policy,” Lawler concluded. “And that is fundamental if New York is going to prosper moving forward.”<\/p>\n

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