Mayor Johnson wants City Council to pause data center expansion

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order on Tuesday at Northerly Island, establishing a set of regulatory safeguards for data centers and proposing a temporary moratorium on new or expanded data centers within the city. The mayor's initiative aims to address potential negative impacts of data center expansion on Chicago's power grid, water supply, and overall environment. Johnson emphasized the city's commitment to innovation but not at the expense of residents' health, safety, or natural surroundings, stating that Chicagoans have clearly expressed their desire for strong protections against unchecked data center development.

However, Zoning Committee Chair Gilbert Villegas (36th Ward) sharply criticized the mayor's executive order, labeling it a "political stunt." Villegas argued that the City Council already has a working group on data centers, which has released preliminary recommendations, and that a recent hearing on the matter was held. He suggested that Mayor Johnson should instead introduce an ordinance to codify these recommendations through the regular legislative process, rather than relying on executive orders.

Despite Chicago being the seventh-largest market for data centers in the U.S. and historically attractive due to pro-business policies, pushback is growing, with suburbs like Grayslake and Cicero also opposing new data center projects. ComEd CEO Gil Quiniones noted that approximately 100 proposed data center projects in Northern Illinois are requesting a combined 33 gigawatts of power, acknowledging a shift in public sentiment toward more responsible data center development.