AI data center proposals are popping up all over Illinois, including right here in our district. These projects are moving fast through annexations, zoning changes, and permits. Left unchecked, they threaten to swallow up good farmland and encroach on established neighborhoods. These data centers generate enormous profits for developers, but provide little in return for the communities that host them.
When it comes to local government approval, these facilities are often treated like ordinary developments, no different than a warehouse or grain elevator. They are different in terms of complexity and technical and infrastructure demands. Local officials are expected to make decisions without clear information about the long-term consequences for residents, infrastructure, and public health.
The state has offered tax incentives for AI data centers. Communities are tempted by promises of new tax revenue, but those revenues can disappear after appeals, while the real costs—declining property values, noise pollution, air pollution, public health impacts, and strain on local electrical, water, and public service resources—remain.
I believe we should have a moratorium on new data centers until these and other issues can be addressed in a way that is satisfactory. Our residents deserve better protections and a fair share of the profits so we can invest back into our towns and protect our way of life.
Issues
Data Centers are appearing all over the country. They produce local jobs in the short term, but in the long term they are staffed by relatively few people. They create noise and air pollution. They strain the capacity of electricity providers, leading to higher rates for residents and other businesses in the area, and sometimes brown or even black-outs. They use an enormous amount of water, leading to shortages, especially in drought-prone areas.
I believe we should have a moratorium on new data centers until these and other issues can be addressed in a way that is satisfactory.
While not an exhaustive list, some possible mitigation policies I would support are described below. However, at this point, many of the policies below are in research stages, or have not been widely adopted. Short of a moratorium, communities should insist on the mitigating policies below, or similar policies specific to their local requirements and priorities.
Electricity
Possible strategies related to Electricity use. Data Centers must:
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- Work with utility companies to plan for usage, sharing cost burdens with the utility
providers to increase capacity, so communities do not face brown or black outs. - Pay utility rates higher than needed to cover electricity costs, including added
administrative and maintenance costs, so residents and communities do not have higher
rates. - Research and pursue alternative fueling options. Some studies suggest methane gas could partially fuel data centers. This would save the electrical grid from capacity overages. This would have the added benefit of offsetting some of the emissions of the data center by using what is now a waste byproduct of oil and natural gas usage.
- Work with utility companies to plan for usage, sharing cost burdens with the utility
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Water
Possible strategies related to Water use. Data Centers must:
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- Provide complete transparency about water needs and usage.
- Minimize water usage through efficient cooling methods, including recirculation and reuse.
- Replenish water used by restoring natural wetlands.
- Fund improvements to local infrastructure, including drainage systems and water systems to ensure local water service is not reduced or disrupted.
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Economic Impact
Possible strategies related to the local Economy and the future of local residents. Data Centers Must:
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- Hire and train local residents to operate and maintain data centers.
- Fund information technology training programs through local colleges and high schools.
- Fund AI literacy training for the entire community, from school children to adults in a
- variety of settings, including schools, libraries, and community centers.
- Pay the highest local property tax rates. They should receive no property tax incentives.
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Pollution
Data Centers, as an industry, must continue to work on mitigation of Environmental Impact. So far, there are no adequate measures to mitigate environmental effects of noise and air pollution. Research must continue, but in the meantime, local officials and residents should be made aware of these issues. The Data Centers must be transparent about the scope of the pollution they will create. Some areas of potential pollution mitigation being studied include:
Noise pollution
Measures could be taken to mitigate some of the noise pollution, but there have been no adequate measures proposed to eliminate the issue. Proposed mitigation measures include physical barriers, setbacks, and improved technology. These must be accompanied by strict decibel limits and enforcement agreements including substantial fines. It is important to measure and limit constant noise (hum), not just intermittent noise. This hum, while at a lower decibel level, is usually a larger problem than the intermittently louder noise. Generator testing and the use of generators should be limited to daytime hours. Frequency of testing should also be limited.
Emissions
The use of methane gas, currently a waste byproduct of natural gas and oil, mentioned in the Electricity section above would also offset some of the emissions created by these centers, but the centers would still be net polluters. This is not a net zero solution. Research must continue to control the amount of emissions produced.