Illinois – Today, the Illinois General Assembly adjourned without taking action on the POWER Act (SB4016/HB5513) – commonsense legislation that would enact nation-leading guardrails on data centers. Instead, state lawmakers opted to continue doling out tax dollars to subsidize Big Tech.
“The longer state leadership waits to enact the commonsense protections the POWER Act delivers, the more data center development will threaten our finite water resources and the resilience of our energy grid, pollute our air, drive up our utility bills, and leave communities across the state in the dark and disgruntled,” said Illinois Environmental Council (IEC) CEO Jen Walling. “This is exactly what Big Tech wanted – for legislative leadership to kick the can down the road on enacting these critical guardrails so that they can get as many more data centers approved as possible. In the three and a half months since we introduced the POWER Act, three data centers have been approved in Illinois, and are projected to sit on over 2,000 acres and require 4,200 MW of electricity. How many more of these projects will get approved before state leaders act, and what will the consequences of that inaction look like for our grid, our water, our land, and our communities?”
“We brought over 600 Illinoisans to the Capitol during the last weekend of the legislative session because Illinoisans across the state are demanding action on the POWER Act and rightfully demanding that their voices be heard,” said Hannah Flath, Director of Communications and Campaigns at IEC. “Constituents’ voices at our Lobby Day this weekend echoed what we’ve been hearing from community members for months – they’re tired of being sidelined by back room development deals and suffering the consequences, all while Big Tech companies rake in tax exemptions and incentives. The POWER Act is the solution we need, and we will continue to fight for that message to be heard.”
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