Bill > S0205

This bill establishes a temporary moratorium, preventing anyone from operating or beginning construction on an artificial intelligence (AI) data center in Vermont until July 1, 2030, with an "AI data center" defined as a facility requiring over 100 megawatts of new electricity specifically for AI-related tasks like inference, training, simulation, or synthetic data generation. This pause is intended to give regulatory bodies, particularly the Public Utility Commission (PUC), time to study the potential impacts of these facilities on Vermont, including energy load, water consumption, environmental effects, grid reliability, and economic consequences, while also considering strategies for energy efficiency, renewable energy, and ensuring that existing electricity customers, referred to as "ratepayers," are not burdened by the costs associated with AI data centers. The PUC, in consultation with the Department of Public Service and other stakeholders, will conduct this investigation and report its findings and recommendations to the Vermont General Assembly by January 15, 2027, to inform the development of future regulations that would best serve the state's interests.

Budget and Finance

https://legislature.vermont.gov/bill/status/2026/S.205