Chicago mayor seeks to block data center expansion: ‘We are not for sale’

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson proposed a data center expansion moratorium ordinance, saying that the city is “open for business” but “not for sale.”

The ordinance acts as a 12-month temporary pause to give city officials time to develop long-term policies concerning energy and pollution risks for Chicagoans. It will be referred to a Chicago City Council committee who will put it through the first vote to decide if the proposal can become law.

“We are taking a thoughtful approach that will allow Chicago to embrace innovation while continuing to make our city safer and more affordable,” Johnson said in a statement obtained by the Chicago Tribune .

He added that progress in data centers “must be done responsibly and in a way that protects the health, safety and quality of life of Chicago residents.”

Johnson also signed an executive order in August that established a modernization effort to create new regulations surrounding data center development – stressing that he would not allow “unchecked” projects to put a strain on the city’s energy and water supply.

He urged the city’s aldermen to pass a data center moratorium but did not present any legislation himself at the time.

Johnson’s proposal follows similar action from Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) who announced in June that he would be pausing agreements under the Data Center Investment Program.

Pritzker said at the time that his administration is working with the Illinois General Assembly and stakeholders on “a comprehensive framework that protects affordability, safeguards our natural resources, and ensures responsible growth across Illinois.”

Data centers, which were once seen as a boon for states, have increasingly become a political liability .

Sam Silverman, founder of the Silverman Strategy Group, told The Hill in July, “I’m generally a techno-optimist, and I’d advise anyone actively campaigning as pro-data center in their community that it’s electoral malpractice.”

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) reversed his stance and advocated for blocking new data center development in rural parts of the Lone Star State while on the campaign trail.

Abbott’s new take contrasts remarks he made last November, calling for Texas to be the “epicenter of AI development” as he welcomed Google’s $40 billion investment into the development of data facilities in the state.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) similarly embraced a new wave of caution as he unveiled a framework that created guardrails for artificial intelligence and data center development in the state.