麻州長Healey簽行政命令 建數據中心？先聽市鎮怎麼說

麻州州長Maura Healey 9月8日簽行政命令，規定建數據中心，得先取得市鎮同意。

         （Boston Orange綜合報導）麻州州長奚莉（Maura Healey）9 月 8 日簽署行政命令，規定新數據中心申建案若未取得地方市鎮同意並簽署社區利益協定，州政府將停止審理其許可申請，藉以賦予在地社區話語權，避免受到不負責任建案與高昂電價的傷害。

麻州長Maura Healey在臉書上貼出海報。

        奚莉州長指出，此舉旨在防止數據中心擴建引發的電費大漲，環境污染疑慮。主要針對尖峰用電需求超過 25 兆瓦（MW）的大型開發案，規定業者必須遵循州政府「數據中心框架」，全額支付營運所需的全新清潔能源與電網基礎設施升級費用，並承諾保護水資源與創造在地職缺。

        行政命令同時規定，禁止數據中心開發商和地方市鎮簽署保密協定（NDA），以確保審查透明，並設立「用電戶保護基金（Ratepayer Protection Fund）」，若業者無法為自己提供清潔能源，將必須繳納費用，補貼一般用電戶承擔的電費高漲支出。

        能源局長特珀（Rebecca Tepper）認為，數據中心絕對負擔得起清潔能源，州府不允許他們把成本轉嫁給一般用電戶。

麻州州長參選人Mike Minogue 9月8日在州政府大樓前，就數據中心發言，直批麻州
電費全美第二高，應設法改善。（周菊子攝）

        麻州 AFL-CIO 主席 Chrissy Lynch 與 IBEW 103 副主席 Mike Monahan 都公開力挺奚莉州長的新規定。他們表示，數據中心從施工到營運都必須聘用工會勞工、提供好薪水，且業者得自己解決水電問題，才能真正為地方帶來經濟好處。

        共和黨籍麻州州長參選人米諾格（Mike Minogue）強烈批評，稱麻州電費高居全美第二，帳單中高達三分之一費用為強制徵收的氣候公用事業費。他主張應廢除「淨零排放」法定目標、增建天然氣管線以降低能源成本，並將州有土地資源集中於住宅、高科技、生命科學及先進製造業，而非引進極度消耗電網的數據中心。 

        米諾格在回應是否應該由地方市鎮來決定建或不建數據中心時，他表示州政府應該保留綜合衡量權。

        為因應數據中心對地方市鎮造成的衝擊，事實上，州政府早前已停止接受數據中心的申請減免銷售稅。地方上也有Holyoke市已立法禁止新建數據中心，Westfield市和羅爾市（Lowell）則頒佈了一年暫緩期。

        在 Lowell，居民因反對 Markley 數據中心增設 8 台柴油備用發電機而提告，法官已發出禁令停工，判決書載明發電機運作造成了巨大的噪音、粉塵、柴油懸浮微粒污染、異味及隱私侵犯等生活煎熬。

        產業數據庫ServerCountry 及 DataCenterMap的統計顯示，麻州目前共有 18 個獨立數據中心開發案，總電力需求高達 503 百萬瓦（MW）。其中，現在營運中的 14 個數據中心多屬舊型中小型機房，總耗電僅約 58 至 100 MW。然而，目前正在規劃審理的新案，耗電量之高卻極為驚人： Westfield 的單一園區需求就高達 274 MW，直接超越全州數據中心用電量的現有總和；亞馬遜（AWS）也在 Westborough 與 Grafton 提出新建案，前者更引發了 4,500 萬美元電網升級成本應由誰負擔的爭議。這類爆發性的用電需求，正是州府緊急築起地方同意與民生電費防線的核心原因。

Governor Healey: No Data Centers Without Local Approval

Governor Healey is requiring data centers to receive local approval before seeking state permits, pay for their own clean energy or pay fees to ratepayers, and adhere to water, air and community engagement standards

BOSTON – Governor Maura Healey today signed an Executive Order giving communities a voice and protecting them against irresponsible data center development and higher energy bills.  Under Governor Healey’s Executive Order, if a data center doesn’t have local approval, state permitting agencies will not advance the project. 

The Governor also directed state agencies to require data centers to comply with her comprehensive Data Center Framework, including bringing their own clean energy supply, protecting water resources and engaging transparently with the surrounding communities. The Executive Order establishes a dedicated Ratepayer Protection Fund, under which data centers that do not bring their own clean energy would be forced to pay a fee that will be returned to ratepayers.

“Unless a community says yes to a data center, we are saying no,” said Governor Healey. “We’re giving communities a voice and laying out the rules for what needs to happen in Massachusetts. I’m also making sure these data centers use clean energy, and that we protect people from higher energy costs – including by returning money directly back to ratepayers.” 

 

“Data centers can afford to pay for their own clean energy and infrastructure, and we’re going to make sure they do,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. “A data center should invest in Massachusetts – bringing new clean energy and paying for the infrastructure to get it there. And if not, they need to be accountable to ratepayers. We’ve seen ratepayers in other states foot the bill for data centers. That won’t be acceptable in Massachusetts.”

Under Governor Healey’s Executive Order, data centers will need a community benefits agreement with the host community that meets state standards before moving forward with any state permitting processes. Governor Healey is also prohibiting the use of non-disclosure agreements between state agencies and data centers to ensure a transparent and fair approval process.

Governor Healey’s Data Center Framework is one of the most comprehensive in the nation. The framework outlines expectations for data center developers, including that they must fund the full cost of the energy infrastructure and clean energy supply needed to support the project, protect the surrounding environment, water systems, and public health and safety, and ensure that local businesses and residents can benefit from job creation and other investments. 

Today’s Executive Order directs the state’s permitting agencies to require proposed data center projects with peak electricity demand exceeding 25 megawatts to demonstrate they are in compliance with the Governor’s framework before granting their permits.

The Executive Order outlines major protections for ratepayers from data center energy use. Governor Healey calls for the establishment of a Ratepayer Protection Fund. Her order calls for data centers to meet their energy needs with clean energy and pay for the necessary energy infrastructure. If electricity costs are not fully covered by the company, it would be required to pay into the Ratepayer Protection Fund, which would be returned back to customers. 

Massachusetts Needs High Tech, Life Sciences, Defense, Energy, and Space Development, Not Data Centers

HAMILTON, Mass. — Massachusetts families pay the second-highest electric bills in the country. Data centers consume enormous amounts of power and put even more demand on our electric grid that already requires a massive infrastructure overhaul to meet the needs of the Commonwealth.

Massachusetts families need lower electric bills.

That means:

• No expanded data centers in Massachusetts at this time. The Commonwealth should not invite data centers to increase demand on our grid, driving up costs for existing ratepayers. Existing data centers need to provide energy support to the community and water purification in their operations.

• Mike Minogue’s priority will be to lease or sell state land, not conservation land, to developers, builders, and companies, with a focus on affordable housing and manufacturing and investment in high tech, life sciences, defense, energy, and space development. With robotics, automation, and AI, Massachusetts can once again become a leader in manufacturing worldwide.

• Bring in natural gas pipelines. Massachusetts needs reliable, affordable energy suppliers, and expanding our natural gas pipeline capacity can help ensure we have adequate supply and lower energy costs.

• Eliminate unnecessary mandated climate utility fees accounting for one-third of the monthly bill. Families should not be forced to pay unfunded, unachievable Net Zero mandates that add fees and programs to their monthly utility bills. If we want to make electricity more affordable, we need to take costs off the bill.

• Eliminate the state’s Net Zero mandate. Energy policy should be driven by affordability, reliability, and common sense. Massachusetts should repeal costly Net Zero requirements that add additional taxes and costs to household budgets.

Massachusetts families should not be forced to choose between heating their homes this winter or paying other basic household expenses because of political energy policies that have made electricity unaffordable.

Massachusetts should not be building out its electric system to accommodate massive corporate data centers while residents are struggling with their monthly utility bills.

The priority is simple: lower electric bills for Massachusetts families now