Healey requires local approval before Massachusetts permits any data center

Builders of data centers in Massachusetts have to get local approval. Gov. Maura Healey signed an executive order on Sept. 8 that precludes proposed data center projects from proceeding to state permitting unless approved by the town or city in which they are located.

The change furnishes municipalities across the Commonwealth with an early kill switch on an industry that many already distrust.

Six communities have already banned or paused the facilities

“Unless a community says yes to a data center, we’re saying no,” Healey said at a press conference at the State House. The order necessitates that developers negotiate community benefits agreements with their host towns first.

Those deals have to line up with state standards before any state permitting process can begin.

The order is for projects with a maximum electricity demand of greater than 25 megawatts. Developers must comply with the administration’s data center framework for permits to be issued.

The order also proscribes non-disclosure agreements between state agencies and data center companies, which Healey’s office said is intended to keep the review process open to residents.

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