DAVIDSMEYER PROPOSES LOCAL CONTROL OVER DATA CENTER DEVELOPMENT

JACKSONVILLE, IL — State Representative C.D. Davidsmeyer has introduced legislation aimed at giving Illinois counties and municipalities greater control over where data centers can be built and how the massive facilities affect surrounding communities.

House Bill 5818 would allow counties to establish standards covering data-center zoning, water use, noise mitigation, building size and height, site design and the number of facilities allowed within a geographic area. The proposal would also require at least one public hearing at least 30 days before a county board makes a decision on a data-center site. Municipalities could regulate data-center siting within their zoning jurisdiction, including an area extending up to one-and-a-half miles beyond it.

The issue has become increasingly important in west-central Illinois. Morgan County approved a six-month moratorium on data-center applications earlier this year while county officials study possible regulations. Residents and local governments have raised questions about the potential effects of large data centers on water supplies, electrical infrastructure, farmland, noise and other local resources. Nearby Waverly has also examined potential impacts on its water system from a proposed data-center development in Sangamon County.

Davidsmeyer, who represents Illinois' 100th House District, filed HB 5818 on October 2. The bill has not yet advanced beyond its introduction and could be considered when lawmakers return to Springfield. The proposal places much of the decision-making authority with local governments, allowing communities to establish standards before a major data-center proposal arrives.