City Panel On Data Centers To Share Policy Ideas Next Month
The Chicago Department of Environment hosted a community meeting for residents to provide feedback on data center development, as a City Council working group prepares policy proposals due by June 30. The proposals aim to address environmental and economic concerns, including massive power and water consumption, while leveraging potential economic benefits. Residents and advocacy groups emphasized the need for transparency and regulations, particularly concerning water use and energy costs.
The Chicago Department of Environment recently held a "community conversation" in Little Village, gathering input from residents as city officials develop new policy proposals for data center development. This initiative follows the City Council's creation last year of a working group, comprising various city department officials, tasked with submitting recommendations to the council by June 30. The dialogue focused on balancing the economic benefits of data centers, such as faster service speeds and job creation, with growing concerns over their environmental and economic impacts.
Angela Tovar, commissioner of the Department of Environment, highlighted the increasing visibility of data center issues nationwide and the need for policies to manage the physical infrastructure supporting cloud computing, AI, and digital services. Residents, like Taryn Kurth, expressed the urgency of addressing these issues before they become irreversible. Jared Patton, project manager for the environment department, outlined the drawbacks, including significant power requirements, high drinking water usage, and reliance on diesel generators.
Panelists and advocacy groups, including Vote Solar and the Citizens Utility Board, advocated for greater transparency in the development process and regulations to mitigate the environmental footprint. Kavi Chintam of Vote Solar warned that unchecked data center growth threatens statewide sustainability goals, citing the proposed POWER Act in the Illinois Assembly, which would mandate water use plans from data centers. Sarah Moskowitz of the Citizens Utility Board noted that data centers have already contributed to rising energy bills for Chicago residents. Rachel Havrelock from the Freshwater Lab at the University of Illinois Chicago suggested Chicago's unique water infrastructure could allow data centers to use recycled water instead of potable water.
The event did not delve into specific development proposals but noted Chicago already hosts 41 data centers, with more pitched for construction. Examples cited include HydraVault's planned AI data center on the Near South Side and Builders Capital's controversial proposal in suburban Blue Island. The article also mentioned large-scale projects approved in Joliet and planned for Aurora, Grayslake, and Sangamon County, underscoring the regional and statewide implications of data center expansion.