Environmental and Government News #10: 4/24/26
Hello all, apologies for not writing in a while! I've been really busy with schoolwork, but I have the summer to write now! :) State Level Illinois lawmakers have advanced a bill that I've talked about a lot, the POWER Act. For those who aren't aware, the Power Act is a bill aimed at regulating the environmental impact of large AI data centers that is currently moving through the Illinois lawmaking system. The legislation would require new data centers to disclose their water and electricity usage and supply their own renewable energy sources. This issue is becoming increasingly important as Illinois hosts more than 220 data centers, with many more in the works. Environmental groups have argued that the unchecked growth of these data centers can hurt the electric grid, increase carbon emissions, and pollute water. Currently, the bill is in the Illinois General Assembly, so it needs committee approval before it can go to a full Senate/House vote. In my opi...