Here's a number worth sitting with: $320 million. That's what New York has committed in subsidies to data centers in Rockland County, according to a report cited by Gothamist on Aug. 25. Real money, already out the door.

Now here's the catch. Since July 14, Executive Order 62 has put a hold on any NEW data center in this state that pulls 50 megawatts or more — full stop, until the Department of Public Service finishes a statewide environmental review with no end date attached. That's the governor's own number, not the 20-megawatt figure some outlets have been running, which comes from a legislative bill, not the order itself.

So who gets to build anyway? Three groups: projects whose DEC application was already deemed complete before July 14, facilities built mainly for manufacturing, research, education or medical care, and anything that only needs local permits — the state order doesn't reach those. If a Rockland project doesn't fit one of those three doors, the subsidy check doesn't open the gate.

That's the piece a contractor chasing this work needs to hold onto. A tax credit or an ESD package tells you the state wants a project to happen. It does not tell you the project can pull a permit tomorrow. Incentive awards mark intent, not construction — we've said it on this beat before, and it holds here too.

If you're bidding electrical, mechanical, or sitework scope anywhere near this pipeline, the question to ask the developer isn't 'how big is the subsidy.' It's 'which door in EO 62 gets you through.' No answer, no schedule.