Greenfield City Council to consider data center moratorium following governor’s order

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey signed Executive Order 658, which mandates that state permitting agencies cannot approve new data centers without authorization from local municipalities. The order further stipulates that data centers exceeding 25 megawatts must secure a community benefits agreement and demonstrate compliance with state standards for responsible development, including clean energy use, funding for their own infrastructure, and no compromise to water supply, air quality, or public health.

In response, the Greenfield Economic Development Committee (EDC) voted 4-0 to recommend a one-year moratorium on data center construction to the Greenfield City Council. This recommendation follows a 4-1 vote by the Greenfield Planning Board in favor of the moratorium. Precinct 7 Councilor Sarah Bolduc proposed the measure, which, if passed by the City Council, would prevent data center construction in Greenfield for at least one year.

The proposed moratorium aims to task the Greenfield Planning Board with reviewing existing zoning codes, conducting research on the potential impacts of data centers on public safety, city infrastructure, and natural resources, and developing recommendations for future regulations. Council members, including Ann Dillemuth and Rachel Gordon, emphasized that the moratorium is not an outright ban but a strategic pause to assess appropriate guidelines, drawing insights from other communities that have implemented similar measures or outright bans, such as Holyoke, New Bedford, Northampton, Easthampton, and Mansfield.