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It’s a new week and Presidents’ Day. Join us tonight at 5:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. for Firsthand: Democracy, a WTTW News special. Watch on WTTW or at wttw.com/news.
Explore the full project at wttw.com/firsthand.
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Large-scale data centers place pressure on power grids and water supplies. (Hugo Kurk / iStock)
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Mega data centers — barely a blip on the public’s radar a year or two ago — have become a hot topic of debate in municipalities across Illinois.
Now state legislators are proposing a set of standardized guardrails that would protect Illinois families, communities and natural resources from the stress such centers place on power grids and water supplies.
State Sen. Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago) introduced the Power Act, which he and co-sponsor state Rep. Robyn Gabel (D-Evanston) aim to shepherd through the state Senate and House this spring.
More context:
The Power Act, Villivalam said, addresses Illinoisans’ key concerns regarding data centers, including skyrocketing energy costs for consumers and the potential depletion of drinking water resources, especially in communities reliant on groundwater.
Chief among the bill’s provisions: Data center operators would have to pay for their own energy-related costs, effectively protecting consumers from subsidizing the facilities.
“If a facility needs new substations, transmission upgrades or other grid investments to operate, they will be required to cover that cost,” said James Gignac, Midwest policy director for climate and energy with the Union of Concerned Scientists, one of the bill’s supporters.
If passed, the Power Act would also force data center operators to disclose, track and report their water use, information that currently is often hidden behind non-disclosure agreements.
“Without this information, communities cannot accurately plan for or anticipate demand or make informed siting decisions to ensure water availability,” said Andrea Densham, senior policy adviser to the Alliance for the Great Lakes.
Environmental justice provisions in the bill include a requirement that data center operators negotiate community benefits agreements, which could specify a certain percentage of local hires, for example, according to Lucy Contreras, Illinois state program director for GreenLatinos.
Additionally, no data center could be built within three miles of an overburdened community, Contreras said, unless an Illinois EPA cumulative impact study proves it won’t increase health or environmental risks. And there are incentives for operators to create clean energy capacity.
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Waymo (Provided)
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Self-driving vehicles could soon be making their way to Chicago and other parts of Illinois.
State Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) has sponsored a new pilot program that would allow companies like Waymo to service Cook, Sangamon and Madison counties with autonomous vehicles over a three-year period.
The rollout has been met with some pushback due to safety concerns after reports they have ignored school bus stop signs in Austin, Texas, and struck a child in Santa Monica, California. Critics are also worried about how these vehicles will impact rideshare workers and the larger economy.
Sharing similar concerns, Buckner said he hopes to pass legislation that would begin to prepare Illinois for the arrival of these companies.
“What I am really concerned about is making sure that Illinois is ready for this technology, if we decide that it needs to come here to this state,” Buckner said.
He added that the legislation he is sponsoring creates what he calls “a test drive” for self-driving companies to operate with a three-year period allowing the state to gather information when it comes to issues of safety, liability and labor.
Impact on labor?
Ronnie Gonzalez, special representative for the IAM Mechanist Union and a leader for the Illinois Drivers Alliance, believes any legislation should only follow preliminary studies on the impact of self-driving vehicles.
Gonzalez, who has been organizing to get rideshare drivers the ability to unionize, believes the introduction of self-driving vehicles could have a devastating impact on their ability to work.
Is it safe?
The Illinois Trial Lawyers Association has also come out against the bill.
“HB4663 is a bill that was written by a tech company in a misguided attempt to self-regulate the autonomous vehicle industry in Illinois. Unfortunately, the bill fails to protect passengers that may utilize the technology, those that would share the roadways with AV’s, and the public at-large,” said Tim Cavanagh, the association’s president, in a statement.
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(WTTW News)
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Mayor Brandon Johnson vetoed an ordinance on Friday that would ban the sale of most intoxicating hemp products throughout the city, calling it “premature”.
The City Council voted 32-16 on Jan. 21 to approve the measure that would have immediately banned the sale of intoxicating hemp products to those younger than 21, while exempting the sale of beverages, topical creams and pet products with intoxicating hemp.
Ald. Marty Quinn (13th Ward), the author of the measure said he would not attempt to override the mayor’s veto, which would require 34 votes.
“I don’t have 34,” Quinn told WTTW News. “I don’t have the numbers, and I don’t want to waste anyone’s time.”
Quinn said Johnson’s decision to veto the measure “defies logic.”
Some backstory:
The ordinance also would have banned the sale of delta-8 and other hemp-derived snacks and other products outside licensed cannabis dispensaries, effective April 1. Johnson said that ban was too broad and punished “many of our small businesses who have been following the law and deserve to have a seat at the table,” including those owned by Black and Latino Chicagoans.
“Many are operated by entrepreneurs who were shut out of the expensive cannabis licensing process and turned to federally legal hemp as a pathway into the marketplace,” Johnson said in a statement. “We cannot claim to support equitable economic development while advancing policies that concentrate the market in the hands of a few large entities.”
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More From WTTW News:
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Back in the Day: February 16, 2021 - Chicago Hit With Nearly 18 Inches of Snow
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Five years ago, the city had to collectively dig out their cars. On Feb. 16, 2021, a lake effect storm system dumped nearly a foot and a half of snow on some Chicago neighborhoods in a 24-hour period. The month had already been marked with almost daily snowfalls. Midway Airport reported 17.7 inches, Evanston totaled 18 inches, while Lincoln Square, Albany Park and Lakeview measured 17, 16 and 14.5 inches, respectively. This newsletter producer remembers not having the best time shoveling out his sedan
in Bucktown and is grateful the temperature could hit the 50s today.
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This Week’s Civic Events & Meetings
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Every Monday, WTTW News highlights the best ways to get involved with local government.
City Council
On Wednesday at 10 a.m., Chicago's City Council will hold a regular meeting. They'll vote on several potential settlements that made it through subcommittee approval regarding city towing and a disgraced CPD detective who framed suspects. Check the official website for more details.
University of Chicago
On Wednesday at 6 p.m., the University of Chicago and the Urban Health Initiative (UHI), will host a live public episode of UChicago Medicine Department of Surgery's podcast, "Deep Cuts." They'll bring experts to "discuss the impact of the "Big Beautiful Bill" and the $1 trillion federal cuts to Mediciad and Medicare on healthcare access." For more details and to RSVP, click here.
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What is the most underrated Chicago food item?
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Email DailyChicagoan@wttw.com with your responses and your answers might be published.
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A live studio discussion and premiere of WTTW's "FIRSTHAND: DEMOCRACY." We’ll preview the documentaries, hold a panel discussion about democracy in Chicago and Illinois, and field questions from local residents.
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5:30 PM | 10:00 PM
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Newsletter Producer: Josh Terry
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