{"id":30129,"date":"2026-10-21T10:51:11","date_gmt":"2026-10-21T15:51:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.law.columbia.edu\/climatechange\/?p=30129"},"modified":"2026-10-21T11:39:16","modified_gmt":"2026-10-21T16:39:16","slug":"new-resource-model-state-and-local-laws-to-manage-data-center-impacts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.law.columbia.edu\/climatechange\/2026\/10\/21\/new-resource-model-state-and-local-laws-to-manage-data-center-impacts\/","title":{"rendered":"New Resource: Model State and Local Laws to Manage Data Center Impacts"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>In the past several years, data centers have rapidly proliferated in communities around the country and have come to dominate political discourse at every level of government. Developers highlight tax revenue that data centers can generate and the jobs they bring. The President regularly argues they are <\/span>necessary<\/span><\/a> for economic development and national security. But increasingly, residents of communities where data centers are proposed are voicing <\/span>opposition to these projects<\/span><\/a>, and calling on elected leaders to do more to regulate data centers\u2019 impacts. Communities affected by large data center projects are raising concerns about the massive demands that hyperscale data centers have for energy and water, the potential for resulting emissions and affordability impacts, the noise and heat that they can produce, and the <\/span>secrecy<\/span><\/a> that some data center developers have maintained by pressuring officials to sign non-disclosure agreements.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

State-level responses to data centers are mixed. Over the past several months, some have begun responding to residents\u2019 concerns by trying to slow the pace of development and create space to study data centers\u2019 effects and the best ways to regulate them. <\/span>New York<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Texas<\/span><\/a>, for example, have both recently taken steps to pause new data center development\u2014although these pauses vary in approach and are limited in scope. The governors of <\/span>Pennsylvania<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Virginia<\/span><\/a> have both recently signed executive orders calling for stricter guardrails around data center development. <\/span>West Virginia<\/span><\/a>, on the other hand, has passed legislation encouraging data center development and broadly preempting local rules that might slow it down.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Local governments have increasingly turned their attention to data centers, and hundreds have passed <\/span>temporary moratoria<\/span><\/a> pausing new projects as a first step toward adopting more comprehensive zoning and permitting regimes. Some cities and towns around the country have already <\/span>created or updated zoning rules<\/span><\/a> to tackle data centers, but many are still studying the issues and considering how best to approach this challenge.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Today we are publishing two new model laws to help meet the needs of jurisdictions looking for resources to craft responses to data center development. These model laws were developed in response to dozens of requests for guidance from mayors, city staff, and additional stakeholders on how state and local governments can guard against the worst environmental impacts that data centers can bring without closing the door to their benefits. In response, the <\/span>Model Climate Laws Initiative<\/span><\/a>\u2014a joint project of the Sabin Center and Environmental Advocates New York\u2014has published <\/span>Model Local Law: A Framework for Responsible Data Center Development<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>State Law for Data Centers – Creating Low Emissions, Accountability, and New Generation Rules for Infrastructure and Data Center (CLEAN GRID) Act<\/span><\/a>. The models draw heavily on research and input from the Sabin Center\u2019s <\/span>Cities Climate Law Initiative<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Climate Mayors<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>Climate XChange<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The two model laws tackle several of the same impacts using different regulatory mechanisms, and are not intended to be mutually exclusive. Some provisions are similar or overlapping across the two model laws, recognizing the different authorities and approaches of state- and local-level governments. Each is designed to be a modular, customizable resource that can serve as a template and starting point for state and local governments that expect new data centers, are engaging with developers, are seeing new facilities come to neighboring areas, or simply want to better understand the landscape of regulatory responses to data center development.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Model State Law\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

The model state law empowers states to require data centers to mitigate their emissions and facilitates information gathering and government studies that will pave the way for any additional regulatory action needed in the future to to minimize data centers\u2019 impacts . It is framed around several key provisions:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n