Chicago Construction News staff writer
Mayor Brandon Johnson has signed an executive order establishing new safeguards for data centers and creating a task force to develop a long-term strategy for the industry.
The order directs city departments to strengthen oversight of data center development while addressing potential impacts on air quality, water supplies, energy costs, infrastructure and neighborhoods.
“Chicago will not allow unchecked development to strain our water supply, drive up energy costs, or compromise the health of our communities,” Johnson said. “We are open to innovation and investment, but it must be done responsibly, transparently and in partnership with the people most affected.”
As an initial step, the Johnson administration will work with the City Council to pursue legislation imposing a temporary moratorium on new data centers and major expansions of existing facilities.
The moratorium would prevent new projects from moving forward under what it considers an outdated regulatory framework while the city develops permanent rules.
New measures include:
- Enhanced reviews of air pollution control permits to address emissions from diesel backup generators.
- New rules governing noise from data center cooling systems, generators and other mechanical equipment.
- A cross-departmental review of planned developments involving data centers, including electricity demand, water use, air emissions, noise, generator impacts, cumulative environmental effects and potential neighborhood impacts.
Chicago has about 39 data centers, according to the city, most developed under regulations that did not account for the scale and resource demands of modern facilities.
Data centers can require substantial amounts of electricity and water and can produce localized noise and air pollution, particularly from cooling equipment and backup generators.
The executive order creates an Interdepartmental Data Center Environment and Community Protection Task Force to develop longer-term policies and implement recommendations from the city’s Sustainable Data Centers Working Group.
The task force will be co-chaired by the mayor’s chief sustainability officer and chief of policy. It will include representatives from the departments of Buildings, Environment, Planning and Development, Technology and Innovation, Water Management and other city agencies.
The group will work on updating regulations and establishing standards for future data center development.
“Any time you build something, it is imperative to consider the impacts on the community that lives, works and plays around it,” said Angela Tovar, the city’s chief sustainability officer and commissioner of the Department of Environment. “With Mayor Johnson’s Executive Order, we can implement stronger protections to ensure that any new data center is evaluated thoroughly and, in the long term, that all data centers provide true benefit to the communities around them.”
The Illinois Environmental Council also welcomed the city’s action, citing concerns raised by residents about energy affordability, grid reliability, pollution and water consumption.
The executive order comes as cities around the world grapple with the rapid expansion of data center infrastructure, driven in part by growing demand for cloud computing and artificial intelligence.
Chicago joined 40 other cities in June in launching the Global Urban Data Centers Pact, a C40 Cities initiative focused on ensuring data center development supports cleaner energy, lower costs and healthier communities.
C40 Cities North America Director Kate Johnson said Chicago’s executive order puts the principles of the pact into local policy.
