New Hampshire Debates Data Center Moratorium Amid AI Concerns
New Hampshire Democrats are proposing AI safeguards and a statewide data center moratorium, citing concerns over energy consumption, environmental impact, and limited job creation. Governor Ayotte has also expressed support for a moratorium on large data centers, with a bill introduced to implement a pause until January 1, 2029.
New Hampshire Representative Tom Cormen, a Democrat from Lebanon representing Grafton County District 15, has voiced escalating concerns about the uncontrolled development of artificial intelligence (AI) and its potential societal threats. Cormen highlights that while AI offers benefits, its rapid advancement necessitates immediate governmental regulation, a sentiment even some AI developers share. The discussion extends to the physical infrastructure supporting AI, particularly the significant energy and environmental demands of hyperscale data centers.
Representative Cormen notes that New Hampshire Democrats have consistently pushed for stricter controls on data centers, citing their massive energy consumption, capacity to shift costs to ratepayers, outsized environmental impacts on towns and regions, and creation of few permanent jobs. Previous legislative attempts to regulate these facilities in both the House and Senate were defeated. However, public awareness and debate have intensified, with Governor Ayotte now supporting a statewide moratorium on data centers after hearing from ISO-New England about their power usage.
Governor Ayotte proposes including the moratorium in the state budget. In response, Representative Cormen has introduced a standalone bill, LSR 2027-0002, which would enact a moratorium on any data center using 20 megawatts or more until January 1, 2029. This legislative push underscores a growing political consensus in New Hampshire regarding the need to manage the development of large-scale data center infrastructure.