Roughly 40 states offer data centers billions of dollars in state and local subsidies, forgoing vital tax revenue that supports schools, roads, public transit, and healthcare. However, minimal transparency requirements make the true extent of their economic returns murky. While job creation is used as justification for granting subsidies, reality often falls short of expectation. With stronger guardrails, states can better protect their communities and finances.

In Climate XChange and Good Jobs First’s forthcoming State Policy Toolkit for Data Center Regulation on Tax, Employment, and Economic Impacts, we explore state policy solutions for reducing data centers’ impacts on taxes, employment, and state and local budgets.

In this webinar, we’ll review impacts of data center subsidy programs, what technical solutions are available, and how state policy can help protect the economic wellbeing of their communities. Our speakers include:

• Kasia Tarczynska, Senior Research Analyst at Good Jobs First, who will explore states’ authority over data center subsidies, as well as opportunities for subsidy reforms.
• Jacqueline Adams, Senior Policy and Research Associate at Climate XChange, who will discuss data center economic policy trends, as well as opportunities for levying new taxes and fees on data centers and preserving community choice.