Aurana City Council has approved regulations for data center development, following a 180-day temporary moratorium on new facilities set to expire the day before the vote. The regulations provide a formal definition for data centers and update zoning standards, require developers to submit a baseline pre-development sound study, noise modeling study, a water consumption and quality modeling report, and an energy consumption modeling report. Future data centers will also be required to install and operate on-site renewable energy generation techniques or on-demand resilience storage procedures. The new regulations are considered the most robust in the state of Illinois and some of the most protective in the country. The city's mayor, John Laesch, called for the State of Illinois to pass the Illinois POWER Act, which will assist Illinoisians with high electricity bills and enhance quality of life.