New Hampshire Leadership Pursued Data Center Moratorium
State officials are drafting legislation to pause construction as electricity and water resource concerns grow.
Updated on Sept. 18, 2026 in Data Centers
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New Hampshire Senate President Sharon Carson and Governor Kelly Ayotte have signaled support for a state-wide moratorium on new data center construction. The announcement follows rising public resistance to infrastructure proposals in the capital region.
Why it matters
Lawmakers are responding to significant public concern regarding the long-term impact of large-scale computing facilities on state water and electricity resources. This potential policy shift marks a departure from previous legislative attempts after similar projects faced local opposition.
A UNH Survey Center poll found that 67% of New Hampshire residents oppose local data center construction, reflecting intense public scrutiny of facility impact on power and water grids. Legislators are evaluating this sentiment eight months after Senate Bill 439 failed to pass.
The players
Sharon Carson
The New Hampshire Senate President who initiated the push for a state-wide legislative moratorium on data center construction.
Kelly Ayotte
The Governor of New Hampshire who publicly supports restricting the development of large-scale computing infrastructure.
The details
The proposed moratorium aims to mitigate the intense infrastructure demands required to run massive server arrays, which consume significant electricity for operations and water for cooling systems. By halting development, state leaders intend to study the environmental and fiscal costs of these facilities to taxpayers before allowing further expansion. This move follows the recent withdrawal of a Nottingham proposal and emerging interest in the capital region.
Timeline
May 2026: A data center proposal in Nottingham was officially withdrawn.
Summer 2026: Governor Kelly Ayotte expressed support for a moratorium.
September 17, 2026: Senate President Sharon Carson announced a policy shift toward a legislative ban.
January 2027: The next New Hampshire legislative session begins.
The Tech Race
This policy pivot follows the failure of New Hampshire Senate Bill 439, which previously sought to address data center growth. The current moratorium push reflects a more aggressive state-level approach to managing the tension between industrial infrastructure and regional resources.
The potential moratorium directly affects planned data center projects in regions like East Concord and Bow by freezing development timelines. Residents should monitor the upcoming legislative session to see if the state moves to codify these restrictions into law.
The takeaway
State leadership is moving to pause data center growth in response to mounting public opposition and infrastructure concerns. Interested observers should monitor the legislative filings scheduled for the January 2027 session to see the specific scope of the proposed restrictions.
What happens next
The legislative process for the proposed moratorium will begin when the next New Hampshire legislative session convenes in January 2027.
Further reading
For context on the infrastructure demands of modern compute facilities, visit Data Centers.
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Should your local government have the power to block large-scale data center construction in your community?
