RALEIGH — Statewide restrictions could be coming to data centers in North Carolina.
The state House passed a bill focused on curbing the environmental and economic impacts of the fast-growing industry.
The bill is called the Ratepayer Protection Act, and much of the debate on Wednesday was about whether or not it would live up to its name. The consensus was that everything in the first six sections of the bill would help.
The bill includes provisions that protect water, like requiring closed-loop systems for data centers that recycle water. It also includes provisions that focus on nuisances like air pollution and noise.
The current bill text requires data centers to enter into contracts that ensure they pay for infrastructure and grid upgrades that may be required to serve the amount of power they demand.
“Data centers must pay their own way. They do not get to ride on the backs of residential ratepayers,” said Rep. Dean Arp of Union County.
Those who opposed the bill focused on the back half, which included a provision that could keep coal plants running longer.
According to the bill, no coal plant could be retired unless progress was made on permitting for a new nuclear facility in the state.
Opponents say this would commit the state to a power source that could take a decade or longer to come to fruition, while aging coal plants miss their upcoming retirement dates.
“I have concerns that in the same bill where we’re trying to protect ratepayers from bearing the cost of data centers, we’re actually requiring them to bear the cost of outdated coal plants,” said Rep. Brandon Lofton of Mecklenburg County.
There was a motion to split the bill to debate both issues separately, but that motion failed.
Ultimately, the bill passed with bipartisan support. The ratepayer protection act will now move to the state Senate for further consideration.