New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is the state's principal environmental regulator, created when Governor Nelson Rockefeller signed it into law on 22 April 1970, absorbing the former Conservation Department along with pollution-control functions from the state health and agriculture departments. It issues permits governing air and water discharge, land use and natural-resource extraction, administers New York's environmental review process for major construction and industrial projects, and manages over four million acres of state land. Because most large-scale infrastructure needs a DEC permit before construction can begin, the agency functions as New York's principal gatekeeper for energy and industrial development, a role that put it at the centre of the state's 2026 data-centre permitting fight. Amanda Lefton has led the department as Commissioner since 2025.

DEC permitting became the mechanism for New York's 2026 data-centre fight. The Responsible Data Center Development Act (S10642/A11560), sponsored by Senator Kristen Gonzalez and carried in the Assembly by Didi Barrett, passed the Senate 44-16 and the Assembly 102-39 on 4 June. It defines a large data centre as 20 MW or more and bars DEC from issuing any new permit for it for one year, while a lower 5 MW covered data centre tier faces phased renewable-sourcing targets rising to 90% by 2040. DEC must also deliver a statewide environmental impact report within 18 months. As of 7 July the bill had passed both chambers but was still awaiting Governor Kathy Hochul's signature or veto, having drawn public pressure from a lawmaker urging a veto on 30 June.