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“Despite the POWER Act’s overwhelming bipartisan popularity and
voters’ growing concerns about data center developments across
the state, lawmakers went home without solutions,” the coalition
said in a statement.
Senate Bill 4016 and House Bill 5513 include provisions to
prohibit cost shifting, ensure data centers power their own
operations, and provide clean energy incentives. The POWER Act
also would prevent data centers from signing nondisclosure
agreements with local governments.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he proposed pausing the tax credits.
“I believe that data centers ought to be paying their fair share
and that they ought to be bringing their own energy with them,”
Pritzker said after the legislative session ended on Monday
morning.
Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, said
he wanted to make sure the Democratic caucus was in a good
place.
“We just weren’t there this session. These complex legislative
issues take time. I do think we’re going to eventually get
there, and when we get there it’s going to be done right,” Welch
said.
Welch said lawmakers had hearing after hearing on data centers.
During a House Revenue Committee hearing on Sunday, state Rep.
Amy Elik, R-Alton, asked state Rep. Curtis Tarver, D-Chicago,
why Pritzker’s proposal to pause data center tax credits got
left out of revenue legislation.
“You asked me something that I would like to share. I would love
to share anything, but I don’t have that information,” Tarver
said.
At a press conference a short time later, Elik explained her
next question.
“And I said this is not the governor’s question. This is for the
Democrats in the majority and why you didn’t decide to take on
that pause in the data center tax credits. Once again, we got no
answer for that,” Elik said.
The Data Center Coalition said it is clear that lawmakers and
stakeholders understand the thoughtfulness and nuance that will
be needed to establish a regulatory framework that is targeted,
fair, and implementable.
“Make no mistake, the industry continues to face significant
regulatory challenges and uncertainty in Illinois that must be
considered in future discussions and the DCC is committed to
continuing those discussions this summer and beyond,” Data
Center Coalition State Policy Director Brad Tietz said in a
statement.
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