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New York approves key power line for Micron’s $100 billion semiconductor megafab

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New York State has approved a critical underground power transmission line to connect an existing substation in Clay with Micron Technology’s planned $100 billion semiconductor megafab in Onondaga County, Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Thursday.

The two-mile, 345-kilovolt line will deliver electricity to the chipmaker’s future facility — the largest private investment in New York’s history — and marks another major step toward the project’s construction phase.

“This project is set to transform Central New York — and we’re moving quickly ahead with all due speed and deliberation,” Hochul said.

The megafab, part of a 2022 agreement between Micron and New York State, is expected to create more than 50,000 jobs over the next two decades, including 9,000 direct Micron positions. Once fully operational, the site aims to produce 25% of all U.S.-made semiconductors by 2030, helping to strengthen domestic chip supply chains.

The state’s Public Service Commission also approved the environmental and construction plans for the project’s first phase, which includes the eastern expansion of the Clay substation and new equipment installation to link it to Micron’s future campus.

The move underscores New York’s broader effort to position itself as a national hub for semiconductor manufacturing, competing with other chipmaking centers in Arizona, Texas, and Ohio.

Amazon sues New York over new labor law, calling it unconstitutional power grab

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Amazon has filed a lawsuit against the New York State Public Employment Relations Board (PERB), seeking to block enforcement of a new state law that it argues illegally intrudes on federal authority over private sector labor disputes.

The law, Senate Bill 8034A, was signed by Governor Kathy Hochul on September 5. She defended it as necessary to protect workers amid a backlog at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which has been paralyzed since President Donald Trump removed Democratic member Gwynne Wilcox in January, leaving the agency without a quorum.

Amazon’s complaint, filed in Brooklyn federal court, claims the law is unconstitutional because it allows PERB to claim jurisdiction over union organizing, collective bargaining, and workplace disputes—areas traditionally overseen by the NLRB. “New York has created the collision of state and federal authority Congress sought to avoid,” Amazon said in the filing.

The conflict became immediate when PERB filed a charge over the August 9 firing of Brima Sylla, a Staten Island warehouse worker and union vice president, even as the NLRB had already begun its own review.

The NLRB itself sued New York on September 12, also seeking to block enforcement of the law, with Acting General Counsel William Cowen arguing that federal law preempts state measures regardless of the board’s quorum status.

With 1.56 million employees worldwide, Amazon has been a frequent flashpoint in labor disputes. The case could set an important precedent for whether states can temporarily step into labor oversight roles when the NLRB is gridlocked.

Former New York Governors’ Aide Charged as Alleged Agent for Chinese Government in Major Espionage Case

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Linda Sun, a former aide to New York Governors Kathy Hochul and Andrew Cuomo, has been charged with acting as an agent for the Chinese government. The indictment alleges Sun, along with her husband Chris Hu, engaged in a range of criminal activities, including money laundering, visa fraud, and conspiring to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Sun is accused of leveraging her positions in state government to benefit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), facilitating unauthorized travel for Chinese officials and altering state messaging to align with CCP interests. The charges, which include blocking Taiwanese diplomatic efforts and manipulating pandemic-related communications, have sparked national security concerns. Sun and Hu, both pleading not guilty, await their next court appearance, with bond set at $1.5 million and $500,000 respectively. The case sheds light on foreign influence efforts within US state governments, raising alarms about the extent of Chinese infiltration and espionage at various governmental levels.