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Ref To Com On Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House2026-05-05

Vote Breakdown

No floor votes recorded.

Plain Language Summary

This bill establishes a two-year moratorium (August 1, 2026 to August 1, 2028) on permits for new datacenters in North Carolina while a university study examines their impacts on electricity grids, water supplies, air quality, and property values. It also requires existing datacenters to annually report detailed operational and financial information to receive sales tax exemptions, and directs the state to report on lost tax revenue from datacenter exemptions.

Arguments in Favor

• •Supporters argue the moratorium allows time to understand datacenter impacts before more facilities are built, protecting North Carolina's electric grid, water resources, and local communities from potential strain.
• •Proponents also contend that requiring transparency through detailed annual reporting ensures datacenters claiming tax exemptions contribute fairly to their communities and allows the state to measure whether tax breaks are worth their cost.

Arguments Against

• •Opponents argue the moratorium may discourage investment and job creation in North Carolina's tech sector, pushing datacenters to neighboring states with friendlier policies.
• •Critics also contend that the extensive annual reporting requirements create regulatory burden on datacenters and that transparency provisions effectively condition tax exemptions on detailed disclosure, which some view as making the exemptions less certain and potentially less valuable.