Sustainability Weekly
Fridays are for…
NY Data Centers, Nuclear Power on the Moon, Penguin Awareness, and more!
by Alli DiGiacomo
Happy Friday! This upcoming weekend is a perfect time to try out some new recipes using local or seasonal ingredients! Winter produce includes kale, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, citrus, pomegranates, and more. Also coming up on 1/20 is Penguin Awareness Day, celebrating these iconic birds and raising awareness about what is threatening them (climate change and overfishing). It’s a reminder to protect their icy Antarctica habitats and the oceans they rely on by spreading awareness, supporting sustainable seafood, and avoiding single-use plastics.
Keep reading for more sustainability news…
T H I S W E E K ’ S T O P S T O R I E S
NEW YORK STATE PLANS TO MAKE DATA CENTERS PAY FOR THEIR OWN ENERGY DEMAND
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul says big data centers, especially those powering AI, should pay their fair share for the massive amounts of electricity they use so regular customers don’t end up with higher bills. In her 2026 State of the State address this week, she laid out a new “Energy NY Development” program that will make it easier for large energy users to connect to the grid, but only if they cover their own costs or supply their own power. The idea is to stop data centers from driving up demand faster than the grid can handle. Currently, NY's rising energy demand is causing real concerns about grid reliability, including warnings of possible blackouts in NYC as soon as next summer.
At the State of State address, the energy and climate agenda focused on keeping electricity reliable and affordable while cutting emissions, especially with nuclear power. She announced plans to build four gigawatts of new nuclear capacity on top of a one-gigawatt project already underway. Other smaller, more immediate steps she announced include increasing funding for home energy efficiency programs, offering incentives for customers to ease strain on the grid, expanding solar at schools, creating greener and cooler schoolyards, and exempting EV charging stations from sales tax.
Environmental groups and advocates are frustrated for a few reasons, mainly because they see Hochul as backing away from NY’s climate goals, which were supposed to be some of the most ambitious in the country. Hochul has delayed or weakened key policies needed to meet those goals, such as postponing the “cap and invest” program that would have forced polluters to pay for emissions and fund climate action. They’re also angry about her approval of a controversial natural gas pipeline, locking in more fossil fuel use just as the state is supposed to be phasing it out. On top of that, her new push for nuclear power worries some groups who argue it will take too long, cost too much, and divert attention and money from faster, cheaper solutions like wind, solar, energy storage, and efficiency strategies.
NASA AND THE DEPT OF ENERGY TO DEVELOP A NUCLEAR REACTOR ON THE MOON BY 2030
The U.S. Department of Energy(DOE) and NASA have signed a new agreement to work together on building a small nuclear reactor that could operate on the Moon by 2030, as well as plans for future use on Mars. The reactor would provide steady, long-term power for lunar missions, unlike solar energy, which depends on sunlight and extreme temperatures. The agencies described it as a “fission surface power system capable of producing safe, efficient, and plentiful electrical power that will be able to operate for years without the need to refuel.” The DOE framed it as part of President Trump’s “America First” space policy, with the goal of solidifying U.S. leadership in space exploration, national security, and space commerce. Officials from both agencies say nuclear power is essential for sustaining long-term human presence on the Moon and for future missions deeper into space, such as Mars. They describe the project as a major technological milestone building on decades of collaboration between NASA and DOE.
MICROSOFT SIGNS ONE OF THE BIGGEST SOIL-BASED CARBON REMOVAL DEALS EVER
Microsoft has signed one of the biggest soil-based carbon removal deals ever, agreeing to buy 2.85 million carbon removal credits over 12 years from Indigo Carbon, a startup that stores carbon in soil through regenerative farming practices. Soil-based carbon removal means storing carbon in the ground through plant roots and soil organic matter by changing how land is farmed. Plants pull CO₂ from the air, and practices like cover crops, reduced tillage, grazing management, and crop rotation help keep more of that carbon locked in the soil, creating carbon “sink’s”. In carbon markets, this stored carbon can be measured and verified, then sold as carbon removal credits to companies trying to offset their emissions. Beyond climate benefits, soil-based carbon removal can also improve soil health, water retention, and farm resilience.
The deal is in addition to smaller past agreements after Microsoft increased its carbon removal market purchases by 400% last year. Nearly 90% of carbon removal credits overall in the market were bought by Microsoft, masking the fact that demand from other companies actually fell. Weaker climate pressure under the current administration, such as the rollback of emissions disclosure laws and federal climate funding, slowed overall corporate participation. Still, it can be argued that Microsoft’s heavy involvement could help set standards, lower costs, and eventually bring more buyers into the market, similar to how early renewable energy deals took off.
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