JOLIET, ILLINOIS — Community leaders, environmental advocates, and state lawmakers gathered in Joliet on Monday to demand action from Illinois legislators following the approval of a nearly 800-acre data center in Joliet that would consume about the same amount of power as the entire city of Indianapolis. The proposal to build the largest data center in Illinois was advanced by Joliet’s Plan Commission and City Council in less than three weeks despite overwhelming community opposition and serious concerns about energy costs, water use, and pollution.
Speakers called on lawmakers to pass the POWER Act (SB4016/HB5513) this spring to establish commonsense statewide guardrails for data center development. The POWER Act ends backroom deals, ensures data centers pay their fair share, and holds Big Tech accountable for massive energy and water use.
“Unchecked data center expansion poses significant threats to Illinois families’ utility bills, our water resources, and our climate goals. From Joliet, to Carbondale, to Grafton – every legislator across the state is hearing about this issue from our constituents,” said State Senator Rachel Ventura. “I’m calling on the Governor’s Office and my colleagues in the Illinois General Assembly to come together and pass the POWER Act this May to enact commonsense regulations on these massive energy- and water-intensive facilities.”
State Senator Rachel Ventura joined Joliet Residents for Responsible Growth, Warehouse Workers for Justice, the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition, and local leaders at the press conference in front of Joliet City Hall. Speakers highlighted how the Joliet proposal showcased how these projects are often advanced with limited transparency and community engagement.
“Residents, local stakeholders, and even some elected officials learned of key details about this project late, after decisions were effectively already made. City officials were quiet or contemptuous, information was inconsistent and delayed, and technical analyses were either incomplete or unavailable to the public,” said Noah Martinez, community leader with Joliet Residents for Responsible Growth. “The way this project was handled constitutes a failure of governance with long-term consequences for the climate, energy systems, water resources, and democratic accountability.”
The City of Joliet signed a confidentiality agreement and Joliet residents’ FOIA requests, although largely redacted, showed that discussions between the City and the developer had been going on for months before the community was notified.
“We are calling on the City of Joliet to place a moratorium on future and existing data center development proposals to allow time to ensure safety for our local water supply and to address pollution in vulnerable neighborhoods and threats to energy costs,” said Griselda Chavez with Warehouse Workers for Justice. “By extension, a Joliet moratorium would also give Illinoisans time to push for the POWER Act to promote protections at the state level. We need local and state action that is rooted in collaboration with the people.”
“What happened in Joliet should be a wake-up call for the entire state, and inaction from the state legislature is frankly irresponsible,” said Lucy Contreras, Illinois State Director for GreenLatinos “Communities deserve transparency, accountability, and a real voice in decisions that impact their health, utility bills, and future. The POWER Act would end back room rooms like we saw happen in Joliet and ensure that working families don’t shoulder the costs of data center development in Illinois.”
The proposed POWER Act would require data centers to pay for their own energy infrastructure and bring additional clean energy online, helping prevent rising utility costs for Illinois families. The legislation would also ban non-disclosure agreements tied to developments, protect safe drinking water, and strengthen pollution protections for vulnerable communities.
Advocates warned that without statewide standards, rapidly expanding data center development could continue to leave communities like Joliet unprotected from skyrocketing utility prices, strained water resources, and increased pollution. Watch today’s press conference here.
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