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This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order Tuesday making the state the first in the nation to implement a moratorium on new hyperscale data centers.

The Democratic governor said she would pause environmental permits while the state researches and develops a regulatory framework to protect ratepayers, the environment, the energy grid and communities. Four hyperscale data centers are already operating in the state, and applications are pending for 39 more. The facilities have sparked concerns over their potential energy and water consumption at a time when there is overwhelming scientific consensus about the need to conserve energy and stem the fossil fuel emissions warming the global climate and intensifying disasters.

“This pause will remain in place for up to one year while New York establishes the strongest possible framework to protect our communities, guardrails to reduce the risk to our energy grid, minimize land disruption, noise pollution and protect our natural resources, especially our water supply,” Hochul said in remarks accompanying the executive order.

The New York Legislature approved a broader moratorium in June, although there were doubts over whether Hochul, who is up for re-election this year, would sign the measure, as she had said the issue should be left to municipalities.

Tuesday’s order represents a good first step but does not go as far as the earlier legislation, said Eric Wood, senior environmental program coordinator at the New York Public Interest Research Group, a nonprofit organization.

As Heat Wave Spreads Across the US, Data Centers Strain Electrical Grids

“The state Legislature’s bill is much more protective of the New York state individual, while the governor’s proposal seems to be a halfway between the billion-dollar tech industry and her constituents,” he said.

Kate Boicourt, the Environmental Defense Fund’s New York state director, said the executive order is the first step to building a “clear set of rules”........

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