Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York is cracking down on the state board that has been blamed for imperiling Amazon’s second headquarters in New York City, known as HQ2.

Amazon’s announcement that it would cancel its New York headquarters came days after an Amazon critic was nominated to the board.

The board’s approval was required for some aspects of the Amazon deal.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York is cracking down on the state board that may have imperiled Amazon’s New York City headquarters, known as HQ2.

Cuomo added a provision to the state budget, which the Legislature passed early Monday, that gives him greater control over the Public Authorities Control Board, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The board’s approval was required for some aspects of the Amazon deal, which promised up to $US3 billion in incentives to Amazon for building its new headquarters in the Long Island City neighbourhood of Queens.

Amazon abruptly canceled the plans for its New York headquarters in February, before the board got a chance to review the deal.



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A source told Recode that the nomination of state Sen. Mike Gianaris, an Amazon HQ2 critic, to the board days earlier played a role in Amazon’s decision to pull out of New York.

Now Cuomo, who has called the failed Amazon deal the “greatest tragedy” of his tenure, is tightening his grip on the board.

The Public Authorities Control Board, charged with determining whether there is sufficient funding for projects like the Amazon deal, may approve a project if the funding is available and it has unanimous approval from members. Cuomo’s new provision prohibits members from blocking a deal for any reason other than the availability of funding and gives the governor the power to remove those who threaten to break that rule, The Journal said.

“You can’t come and say, ‘I don’t like Amazon,'” Cuomo said, according to The Journal.

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