Senate committee advances bill to certify microgrids, data centers after hours of debate on taxes and local authority

The Senate Economic Development Committee on an unrecorded voice vote moved an engrossed committee substitute for House Bill 2014 to the full Senate with a recommendation that it pass after more than four hours of testimony and amendments.

The bill would create a certified microgrid program and a high‑impact data center program. It authorizes additional microgrids when 60% of the microgrid’s electricity is consumed by data centers; defines a “data center” by critical IT load (90 megawatts or higher and placed in service on or after July 1, 2025); requires applicants to negotiate with local utilities for service before filing with the Public Service Commission (PSC); and establishes a distribution formula that reallocates certain property tax increments into new state funds, including a Personal Income Tax Reduction Fund and an Electric Grid Stabilization and Security Fund.

Committee members heard repeated concerns from county officials about the tax and local‑control…