Fact Check: Where do these IL congressional candidates stand on data centers?
Illinois 13th Congressional District candidates Nikki Budzinski and Jeff Wilson outlined their views on data center development in the Metro East. Both emphasized local control and protecting residents from higher utility costs, while Budzinski focused on grid reliability and labor and Wilson called for transparency, community benefits and developer-funded infrastructure costs.
Democratic Rep. Nikki Budzinski and Republican challenger Jeff Wilson discussed data center development as part of the Belleville News-Democrat’s election questionnaire for Illinois’ 13th Congressional District. The district includes much of Madison County and parts of St. Clair County, where proposals in Granite City, Troy and Edwardsville have faced skepticism and concerns about noise, environmental effects, infrastructure strain, electricity costs and water use.
Budzinski said projects should remain under local control and should not proceed until developers cover the full cost of powering facilities, protect grid reliability and explain how they will meet water needs without raising community rates. She also supported union labor and cited her vote for the proposed Ratepayer Protection Act.
Wilson said data centers should be evaluated for their overall community benefit, including tax revenue, jobs and infrastructure support. He called for public hearings, disclosure of utility requirements, community-benefit agreements and safeguards against projects benefiting developers at residents’ expense, while pointing to Meta’s DeKalb facility as an example of potential economic gains.