William has seen the rising energy costs impact his neighbors and himself year after year. Recently, NH has seen AI data center proposals that threaten to further increase utility prices as power companies work to meet the massive energy needs of these facilities. Throughout the US, it has been shown that data centers put enormous strain on community electrical and water supplies and increase light and noise pollution. These data centers often do not provide meaningful financial incentives to communities either. While the initial building may hire some local contractors, the majority of the site is prepared by out-of-state experts and then staffed with only a handful of skeleton crew. Members of communities are left with higher utility costs, polluted water ways, and increased stress from the constant light and noise.

We need leaders in Concord that will set requirements for building data centers to mitigate the harmful effects of data centers. We need requirements that corporations will assume 100% of the increased costs for upgraded transmission and substations required by the data center. We also need to ensure there is social justice oversight to make sure these facilities are not being overwhelmingly placed in low-income communities.

Additionally, we need transparency in the data center bid and construction process. Data center corporations have been entering into NDA agreements with Town Administrators or councilors that prevent the public from learning the details of agreements between towns and data center companies. NH needs transparency so that the public can fully understand and consider the impacts of the data center before it is built in their community.