Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is proposing a one-year moratorium on any new data center construction in order to come up with new regulations surrounding zoning, water and power usage, and quality of life for residents.
The proposal comes as cities and states across the country debate the future of data centers and AI regulation.
Johnson says the moratorium provides time for his Data Centers Task Force to come up with recommendations to regulate future data center development.
“Chicago is open for business, but we are not for sale. We welcome innovation, investment, and the jobs and opportunities that come with it, but growth must be done responsibly and in a way that protects the health, safety and quality of life of Chicago residents,” the mayor said in a news release Wednesday morning.
34th Ward Alderman William Conway has also proposed new data center regulations, including banning them in certain areas of the city and providing a framework for community accountability. Conway says he doesn’t want to wait for the mayor’s task force report.
There are between 39 to 55 data centers currently operating in Chicago, according to datacenters.com.
Suburban communities have been grappling with their own data center battles. A six-month moratorium expired in Aurora, where that town’s city council passed regulations limiting water and power usage and where the centers can be built.
Consumer groups like the Citizens Utility Board claim that the large amount of data centers operating in the state of Illinois has been a contributing factor in spiking ComEd utility bills.
NBC Chicago reached out to the Midwest Data Center Coalition, a trade group representing large data center companies in the region, for a response to the moratorium but did not immediately hear back
