News Archive | Upstate United

Sep 28 2026

Rockland County Business Journal Your Voices: Battery Storage Can Help New York Build A More Affordable, Reliable Energy Future

Read online or listen to the opinion piece at rcbizjournal.com. Battery Storage Projects Are Good For The Economy, Good For Reducing Energy Bills, And Safe By Justin Wilcox New York’s energy policy must be measured by more than the ambitions it sets. It must also deliver electricity that households and businesses can afford, a grid […]

Sep 18 2026

Rochester Beacon LTE: Why your electric bill is going up

I have bad news for New Yorkers who are already paying the fifth highest residential electricity prices in the nation—your bill is going up, and it has nothing to do with the utilities. It’s because leaders in Albany decided they want us to pay higher prices for fossil-fueled electricity. That is the purpose of the Regional Greenhouse […]

Sep 15 2026

Upstate United: NY’s Energy Affordability Program Doesn’t Address Underlying Affordability Crisis

The following statement is attributed to Justin Wilcox, Executive Director of Upstate United. “With the governor renewing calls for more New Yorkers to enroll in the Energy Affordability Program, it is important for New Yorkers to understand that these discounts are ultimately paid for by other ratepayers struggling with rising utility bills themselves. The more people who enroll in this […]

Aug 3 2026

Upstate United Responds to Status of NYS Climate Superfund Act

The following statement is attributed to Justin Wilcox, Executive Director of Upstate United, in response to reporting done by the Syracuse Post-Standard. “New Yorkers need affordable, reliable energy and investment in our aging electric grid, not legally dubious policies that will increase costs without meaningfully reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. “The arguments presented in court underscore […]

Jul 29 2026

Buffalo New Another Voice: New York can’t power the industries it already has, much less data centers

July 29, 2026 – Read on Buffalonews.com here. New York’s power limitations are the direct result of its restrictive Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. As a result, a moratorium on energy-intensive projects, like data centers, is almost irrelevant. Our energy policies have already created a self-inflicted ban on next-generation industries. Since the CLCPA passed […]

Jul 24 2026

Upstate United Responds to NYISO’s Latest Report

The following statement can be attributed to Justin Wilcox, Executive Director of Upstate United. “What is clear from the NYISO’s latest report is that policy choices are determining system outcomes. By any objective measure, those outcomes are not well suited to attract data centers or any large load employers on the scale of Micron, now or in […]

Jul 23 2026

Spectrum News: Could the data center moratorium cost New York grid investments?

BY Nicole Neuman New York State Jul. 23, 2026 – Watch full piece here. It’s a part of the data center conversation that’s gaining more traction, and that’s allowing data centers in the state of New York if they take steps to prevent higher electricity prices. “In my State of the State address, I specifically said that […]

Jul 16 2026

WRGB Albany: Hochul convenes statewide roundtable after moratorium on large-scale data centers

by Quinn Alexander, July 16, 2026 Watch the full piece here. Gov. Kathy Hochul says New York’s electric grid cannot currently support a hyperscale data center without risking shortages or higher costs for customers, as her administration pauses large-scale projects to weigh their impact on communities and the state’s energy system. Two days after issuing […]

Jul 15 2026

NY Post: Kathy’s A.I. K.O. Nix on building new data centers

She’s zapping data centers – for now. Gov. Hochul on Tuesday issued a first-in-the-nation ban on large-scale data centers in the Empire State – a moratorium that managed to tick off both supporters and opponents of the artificial intelligence projects. The executive order Hochul signed will pause new permits for so-called “hyperscale” data centers trying […]

Jul 15 2026

PIX 11 New York data center ban faces opposition: ‘Risking’ jobs

NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) – New York has become the first state to enact a moratorium on new data centers, and the decision is facing some pushback. Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday announced a one-year ban on new “hyperscale” data centers statewide. The Upstate United, a coalition of businesses and trade organizations, is warning it […]