Hanton City Investments

As Smithfield moves to ban data centers, lawmakers debate how to define them

Smithfield, Rhode Island, is considering a two-year moratorium on data centers through a zoning amendment, driven by local concerns. Simultaneously, the Rhode Island General Assembly is actively debating multiple bills aimed at defining, regulating, and potentially offering tax breaks for data centers, focusing on their significant electricity and water consumption and impact on the state's power grid.