1. United States
2. Ill.
3. Letter

Pass SB 4016 and HB 5513, the POWER Act, next legislative session. Illinois just handed millions in taxpayer dollars to data centers while letting them dump their grid expansion costs onto households. That is backwards, and it needs to stop. Data centers connecting to our electric grid and water utilities should pay for the infrastructure they require, not shift those costs onto families already struggling with utility bills. The POWER Act fixes this by requiring data centers to bring their own new clean energy capacity, contribute to utility assistance programs for income-qualified customers, and operate with transparent cost-of-service models for water use. Big Tech wants access to Illinois. Fine. Make them earn it by playing by the same rules everyone else follows. The session ended without this bill crossing the line, but the threat to our grid, our wallets, and our environment keeps growing. Bring the POWER Act back and pass it.