States Push to Rein in Data Centers Via Bans, Restrictions

West Coast Land Use and Environment attorney Tamsen Plume was quoted in a Law360 article tracking state-level efforts to regulate data center development and operations. Lawmakers in states ranging from Virginia to Arizona have proposed bills creating environmental impact assessment obligations, energy and water use disclosure requirements, design standards and more, all in attempts to mitigate higher electricity costs for consumers and better understand and allocate resource consumption. Some states such as New York have gone so far as to propose moratoriums on permitting for data centers. Ms. Plume said she's watching that bill in particular because it will affect not only future projects but also ones currently in progress. She added that federal rules could create uniformity, helping avoid headaches for developers and owners sifting through a patchwork of regulations while establishing more certainty for municipalities balancing community and economic development needs.

"The area has been quickly evolving," Ms. Plume observed. "And it is an interesting intersection between something that is really a piece of our infrastructure, a utility and private investment."

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