Across the country, communities are rising up in record numbers to push back on large-scale data center development.
These facilities are driving up energy costs, straining infrastructure, creating water, climate, and noise pollution, while only offering limited long-term employment.
We need to send a message:
DON’T DATA CENTER VERMONT.
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37% of the world's data centers are in the U.S.
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Power needs of data centers could raise electricity bills by 25%
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One data center's emissions is equivalent to 10% of Vermont's total air pollution
Data centers are arriving in communities across the country faster than anyone can keep up — and in state after state, the story has been the same: data centers are using enormous amounts of energy, water, and land, leading to higher costs and more pollution. Large-scale data centers rely on water to manage the heat generated by computer servers. Right now, communities are dealing with the very real impact on their water quality and supply because of this. And to keep up with the sky-rocketing demand in energy, utilities are building enormous new infrastructure to serve the data centers, and in many places people are paying more for their electricity because of it – all at a time when household budgets are already strained.
Vermont currently does not have any large-scale data centers, but that does not mean the state is immune to their development. There have already been proposals to develop data centers in Vermont, and with the meteoric rise of AI, pressure for their development will remain. There are many significant issues with large-scale data center development – and overwhelming public concern – across the nation and in Vermont. Currently, Vermont has few protections to safeguard against the potential negative and costly consequences of data center development.
Let’s learn from other states and take action!
Let’s protect our state from Big Tech and tell our elected officials Don’t Data Center Vermont!
Vermont has tried and failed to pass a meaningful policy to protect Vermonters and our communities from Big Tech and large-scale data centers. This election, we have the power to make a different choice about who we want to be leading and legislating in Vermont.
Data Centers in Vermont: A Timeline
2025: Data Centers Proposed in St. Albans
The first known attempt to bring a large-scale data center to Vermont was in St. Albans in 2025 when Sean Adkins, then town manager, worked with a developer to bring one of two planned projects – the larger being 50 megawatts — to town. (VTDigger)
Winter 2026: Legislature Introduces H.727
Recognizing the rapid expansion occurring nationwide and the need to set proactive and preemptive guidelines, lawmakers spent much of the 2026 Vermont legislative session considering how Vermont could prepare and protect our environment and communities from unchecked data center development. The product was called the ‘Sustainable Data Center Deployment’ bill and was designed to ensure that if large-scale data centers came to Vermont, they would do so in a way that protected ratepayers, natural resources, local communities, and the state’s legally binding climate commitments.
H.727 would have established clear expectations before projects were proposed, providing greater transparency, oversight, and community protections while creating a more predictable process for future development.
Spring 2026: H.727 Passes House & Senate
The bill passed both the House and Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support, including a 26-3 vote in the Senate.
May 28, 2026: Governor Scott Vetoes H.727
Unfortunately, Vermont Governor Phil Scott disagreed and vetoed the bill. 52 Republican legislators followed suit and voted to uphold the Governor’s veto in an override attempt by the legislature. As a result, H.727 did not become law and Vermonters remain vulnerable to unchecked data center development in the Green Mountain State.
That day, Americans for Prosperity, a dark money-funded, out-of-state interest group weighed in, thanking the Governor for his veto.
June 2026: Data Center Proposed in Vernon
Less than a month after H.727 was vetoed, news broke that a data center is one of the three potential projects being explored in Vernon at the site of the former Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. (VTDigger)
Data Center Policy in Other States
New York
In July, New York became the first state in the nation to adopt a one year moratorium on data center development in order to build a nation-leading regulatory framework that protects ratepayers, the environment, the energy grid and communities across the state.
New York State is experiencing unprecedented growth in demand for data center development. The increase in demand has led to proposals across the state for the construction and operation of data centers that could require massive amounts of energy and water to run and cool thousands of computer servers.
In response to this increase in demand and potential threat to New York State, Governor Kathy Hochul directed the New York Department of Public Service (DPS) to begin a proceeding to ensure that energy remains affordable for New Yorkers and signed an executive order to pause all data center development for one year in order for this important work to get done.
Over this year, the NY DPS will also conduct an environmental impact statement. This will be used to assess the potential environmental impacts of the construction and operation of data centers in the state, including their effect on energy demand, water use and quality, and air quality. It will also ensure new data centers coming online are being held to consistent standards. Once this process is completed, the moratorium will be lifted.
New York is a great example of a state who acted early and thoughtfully, centering what is best for New Yorkers over the influence of Big Tech in important decision making…
Unregulated Data Centers Nationally
Unlike New York, many states did not act preemptively in protecting their communities and environment from unchecked data center development. The rapid expansion of data centers across the U.S., driven by Big Tech’s AI and crypto boom, presents one of the biggest environmental and social challenges of our generation. This data center frenzy is like dousing a fire with gasoline. It is exponentially increasing demand for energy, increasing fossil fuel pollution, while at the same time straining our water resources and raising electricity prices in communities across the country.
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