Rep. Robyn Gabel, D-Evanston, and Sen. Ram Villivalam, D-Chicago, speak at a rally for the POWER Act, a bill regulating data centers, about the bill’s next steps after the session ends. | Capitol News Illinois photo by Peter Hancock
By Nikoel Hytrek and UIS Public Affairs Reporting (PAR)
Article Summary
- The POWER Act, an expansive bill to regulate data centers, will not pass the General Assembly this spring, but the bill’s leaders say the measure isn’t dead and negotiations will continue through the summer.
- In the meantime, they and other lawmakers who have signed onto the POWER Act said the legislature should pause data center tax credits that have been in place since 2019.
- According to a 2024 report, at least 27 data centers had received incentives totaling $983 million in estimated lifetime tax breaks and benefits.
- Lawmakers said negotiations will include multiple stakeholders, from utility companies to energy advocacy groups, labor unions and the data center lobby.
This summary was written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story.
Read the article here.
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