06/08/2026
Data Center Update:
I have been writing and talking about my concerns regarding data centers for the past few months because I believe Brookhaven needs to get ahead of this issue before applications start landing on our desks.
Across the country, communities are asking the same questions: how much electricity will these facilities require, how much water will they use for cooling, who pays for grid upgrades, and do local governments have the right rules in place to regulate them properly?
These questions are particularly pertinent to us here in Brookhaven because of the inherently fragile nature of living on an island. On Long Island, our drinking water comes from the aquifer beneath our feet. We do not have a reservoir system to fall back on. If a data center uses our drinking water for cooling, it can have real impacts on our future. Similarly, our electrical generation and distribution system is a finite resource. If a large private user requires major electric upgrades, ordinary ratepayers should not be stuck paying those costs.
That is why I advocated for an 18-month moratorium in Brookhaven, and I am grateful that the Supervisor and Town Board have agreed to take that step. The goal is not to just delay for delay’s sake. It is to give us time to study the issue carefully so that when we press “unpause,” we have a solid framework to protect residents, electric ratepayers, and the aquifer.
This is not about banning technology. Data centers support online shopping, banking, medical records, streaming, cybersecurity, business software, and much more. But modern infrastructure needs modern rules. If these facilities are proposed here, we should know how much power and water they need, how they plan to cool, whether they can use reclaimed or non-potable water, and who pays for infrastructure upgrades.
This issue is also bigger than Brookhaven. The aquifer and electric grid are regional resources shared by residents across the island. Pushing a poorly regulated data center from one town to another does not solve the problem, so we need a regional solution. That's why I am grateful to Assemblywoman Rebecca Kassay for helping carry these concerns to Albany and supporting the State’s similar moratorium bill, now awaiting the Governor’s action. I also want to thank Supervisor Dan Panico, who has been active and engaged on this issue from the beginning.
This is the planning approach the Brookhaven Town Board should take whenever a major new use comes before us: study the impacts, bring the right people into the conversation, and set rules that protect the community over the long term.
