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Committee weighs data center limits under Act 250 and PUC oversight
Summary
A legislative committee debated whether Vermont should regulate large data centers through Act 250 or utility oversight, stressing definitions (MW thresholds), grid capacity, transmission cost-sharing, and invitations to the PUC and ANR for briefings.
A legislative committee spent the session exploring how Vermont should treat data centers, including whether Act 250, the Public Utility Commission (PUC) or other regulators should control large users of electricity.
Speaker 1 said the topic arose after a National Conference of State Legislatures briefing and listed at least two centers in Chittenden County and one in Stowe. Lawmakers questioned whether the bill under consideration targets only very large facilities or unintentionally pulls in smaller, locally beneficial centers. "We need to make sure we define it so we don't lose what we could use as some good small employers," Speaker 1 said.
The committee debated numeric thresholds and examples:…
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