ROYALTON — Voters will be asked to approve a five-year moratorium on AI and crypto data center construction during Royalton Town Meeting.
This provision is non-binding, meaning if passed, the Selectboard would not have to enforce the provision.
“This special ballot puts voters to the polls and asks them if they want changes to the city plan,” Town Administrator Ryan Brich said in a phone interview Friday morning.
The Selectboard published an article in Alert calling for a moratorium on city planning after resident Jane Philbrick brought her concerns about the data center to the governing body during a January meeting. Although Royalton does not have a data center and no data center is proposed in the city, she encouraged the Selectboard to take a proactive approach.
“The forces that are working to make these things happen are extraordinarily wealthy and have incredible political and economic power,” Philbrick said in a recording of the Jan. 13 Selectboard meeting.
He pointed to examples in other states where data centers have been built and concerns about the land, water and power needed to operate such sites.
“I think it would be prudent to undergo a safety inspection,” Philbrick said during the meeting.
According to Data Center Maps, which tracks data centers across the country, Vermont has three data centers in South Burlington, Williston and Stowe.
According to a January 2026 report to the U.S. Congress, the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 defines a data center as “a facility that primarily contains electronic equipment used to process, store, or transmit digital information and is either (A) a free-standing structure, or (B) a facility within a larger structure that uses environmental control devices to maintain conditions suitable for the operation of the electronic equipment.”
State Sen. Becca White, a Hartford Democrat whose district includes Royalton, has proposed a bill that would create a statewide moratorium on data center construction in Vermont.
Bill S.205 states that the moratorium, which expires July 1, 2030, is intended to “allow time for the Public Utilities Commission to study the impact such a center would have on Vermont and recommend to the General Assembly a regulatory regime that would best serve the general interests of the nation.”
The bill, which is currently before the Senate Finance Committee, would require the Public Utilities Commission to “develop findings and recommendations regarding the impact that the implementation of AI data centers will have on Vermont,” and to recommend regulations for the centers that “best serve the general interests of the state,” according to the bill’s text.
In New Hampshire, some lawmakers are pushing to regulate data centers, while others want to encourage developers to build data centers in the state, according to a September 2025 New Hampshire Bulletin article.
Mr. Philbrick brought up Mr. White’s bill during his presentation to the Selectboard.
“I think it’s a great thing for our community…we did something very local,” Philbrick said.
The Selectboard followed Philbrick’s suggestion.
“We want to adopt this now,” Selectboard member Nell Gwinn said during a recording of the meeting. “I think you should.”
At its January 27th meeting, the Selectboard discussed whether to place the article on alert.
Some town leaders, including Brich, initially worried that the process would move too quickly for voters.
“I don’t think it would be wise to put this up for a town vote without a Selectboard review and a proper public awareness campaign,” Brich said in a recording of the Jan. 27 meeting. “I have no concerns at all about the merits of this. I agree with her position 100%. I just don’t think the institutions…our voters…are properly informed.”
Gwynn encouraged his fellow board members to vote yes to put this measure before voters. Selectboard Chairman Patrick Dakin agreed.
“This process provides voters with information and an opportunity to weigh their opinions,” he said in a recording of the meeting.
The Selectboard ultimately voted unanimously to add the article to the warning.
Voters will have an opportunity to learn more about this at Royalton’s pre-town meeting on Tuesday, February 24th at 4 p.m. at White River Valley School, 223 S. Windsor St. in South Royalton.
Voting will take place in the chambers of Town Meeting, scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 3, at White River Valley School.
