New Hampshire State Senator Backs Proposed Data Center Moratorium
State Senator Dan Innis expresses strong support for Gov. Kelly Ayotte's proposed moratorium on new data centers in New Hampshire. He argues that data centers drive up electricity demand and costs for ratepayers while offering minimal benefits to local communities. The senator warns against developers using rebranding tactics to circumvent potential restrictions.
State Senator Dan Innis (R-Bradford), representing District 7 in the New Hampshire Senate, has voiced strong support for Governor Kelly Ayotte's proposed statewide moratorium on new data centers. Writing in an opinion piece for the Concord Monitor, Innis argues that data centers consume excessive electricity, straining New Hampshire's grid and driving up energy costs for residents, small businesses, and farmers, thereby eroding the state's "New Hampshire Advantage" of low taxes and quality of life.
He points to recent proposals for data center projects in Nottingham and Bow as examples drawing public scrutiny. Innis contends that these facilities offer little in return, providing no meaningful jobs or tax base to justify the strain on infrastructure. He also criticizes what he perceives as a rebranding effort by developers to call data centers "server farms" or "innovation hubs" to bypass potential regulations, asserting that such tactics will not deter state leaders from evaluating these facilities based on their actual impact.