Vermont is too green to let data centers destroy it!
A community action toolkit — what's happening, and the most vital things you can do.
What's happening
Big AI data centers use huge amounts of power and water. Vermont has almost none yet — about ~5 MW today. One big new one could use up to ~300 MW of power. That is a whole new city on our small grid.
Lawmakers passed a bill to set limits — H.727. The Senate voted it through 26–3. The Governor vetoed it on May 28, 2026. The override failed 83–52 — just 7 votes short. So there is no data-center law right now. But the bill is ready to bring back.
Who's fighting it — and who's clearing the way
Wants limitsFighting to rein data centers in
- The Vermont Legislature — passed the limits by a wide margin
- VNRC & VPIRG — Vermont groups protecting your bills and water
- Sen. Bernie Sanders — reining data centers in at the federal level
Clearing the wayLetting data centers in unchecked
- Gov. Phil Scott — vetoed the limits — so none became law
- Big Tech demand — hunting for cheap power and land
- The federal government — fast-tracking big power users
The numbers that matter
- ~880 MWall of Vermont's power at once
- up to ~300 MWone big new data center
- ~35% aboveour power vs. the U.S. average
- +5.5%GMP rate rise, Oct 1 2026
- ~$30Mhookup cost that stopped St. Albans (2025)
- up to 70%Virginia home-rate rise in a decade
Why this matters: higher power bills, heavy water use, and less local control — while the company keeps the profit. Vermont still has time to set fair rules before a project forces our hand.
Sources: Vermont Dept. of Public Service, 2026 Annual Energy Report · PUC Case 26-0096-TF · VTDigger, 2026-09-08 · VTDigger, 2026-02-24 · Vermont Public, 2026-02-26 · Virginia JLARC 2024 study · PolitiFact, 2026-06-12
1 Educate — spread the word
Most Vermonters don't know how close this came. Awareness is the first defense.
- Talk to three neighbors. Use the numbers above. 5 min
- Write a letter to the editor naming H.727. Local papers reach the people who vote. 30 min
- Share the toolkit — vermontdatacenterdefense.com — with your town list, group, or feed. 2 min
- Raise it at a meeting — Town Meeting, selectboard, or a community group.
- Email your legislator. A real message from a constituent counts. 10 min
2 Slow it down — the legal levers
The one big move: bring H.727 back. The mandate already exists — the whole gap is 7 votes. Everything else buys time and local control.
- Revive H.727 — ask your legislators to reintroduce it next session. a session-long push
- Warn an article at Town Meeting — put data-center limits to a floor vote. days–weeks
- Ask your selectboard for an interim bylaw — a temporary pause while you write rules. weeks
- Write data centers into your town's zoning — conditional-use standards or an industrial-only district. months
- Take party status in Act 250 — a real seat in the case, plus the right to appeal. months
- Intervene in the PUC §248 docket for any power line or substation. months · counsel helps
- File a Public Records Act request — force secret deal terms into the open before anything is signed. ~1 hr
3 If one comes anyway — make it pay its own way
If a data center does arrive, these are the guardrails to demand — the same ones H.727 set.
- Its own rate class — MD & OR, 2025 did this so a data center's power costs stay off your bill. Vermont can too.
- A ratepayer-protection contract, approved by the PUC, so it pays for its own grid hookups.
- Water and PFAS monitoring — protect local rivers and wells from cooling water and chemicals.
- On-site renewables, no dirty diesel — Vermont law requires 100% by 2035 renewable electricity.
- A community-benefit deal, negotiated in the open — real jobs, real local value, not just a tax break.
Ready-to-send messages
To your legislator
"I'm a Vermonter in [your town]. Please bring back H.727 next session to set fair rules on big data centers before one arrives — and protect our power bills and water."
To your town (selectboard / planning commission)
"Please put data-center rules on the agenda now, before any proposal arrives — an interim bylaw or zoning standards for power use, water use, and siting."
Letter to the editor
"Vermont came 7 votes from one of the country's strongest data-center laws. The Governor's veto held. We can bring H.727 back — tell your legislators to act."
Who to contact in Vermont
Three decision-makers hold the levers. Start with your own — then bring in the groups that already do this work every day.
Your three decision-makers
- 1 · StateYour legislators
Your representative and senator can bring H.727 back. Find them by town.
legislature.vermont.gov/people - 2 · LocalYour town
Selectboard & Planning Commission can act before a proposal arrives. Reach them through your town clerk.
sos.vermont.gov/elections/town-clerks - 3 · EnergyPublic Utility Commission
Where §248 energy cases are decided — and where the public can file comments.
puc.vermont.gov
Allies & watchdogs — groups already on this
- Vermont Natural Resources Council
Led the push for H.727. Has a standing data-center program you can plug into.
vnrc.org - VPIRG
Vermont Public Interest Research Group — co-advocate with VNRC in the State House.
vpirg.org - Vermont League of Cities & Towns
Town Meeting and municipal-authority resources for local action.
vlct.org
Where the rules live
- Land Use Review Board (Act 250)
Reviews land use and development. Formerly the Natural Resources Board — renamed under Act 181 (2024) & Act 152 (2026).
act250.vermont.gov - Your congressional delegation
The federal counterpart — including Senator Sanders' AI data-center work.
congress.gov/members
Routes verified against legislature.vermont.gov · puc.vermont.gov · sos.vermont.gov · act250.vermont.gov · vnrc.org · vpirg.org · vlct.org (2026)