Connecticut lawmakers just let a bill die that would have repealed the state's AI data center tax breaks. No vote. No debate. The session ended and the bill was quietly left behind — while the tax incentives that benefit billion-dollar tech companies remain fully intact.

Seven out of ten Americans do not want AI data centers built in their communities. New Jersey just froze $250 million in data center tax credits pending review. New York lawmakers are debating a repeal bill and a three-year moratorium. Connecticut had the chance to lead — and walked away.

Data centers consume enormous amounts of electricity and water, strain local infrastructure, and generate noise and environmental concerns for neighboring communities. They create relatively few permanent jobs. And as residents in Nottingham, New Hampshire recently showed when they packed a planning board meeting to oppose a proposed data center — communities are waking up to what these facilities actually cost them.

Connecticut's tax breaks for data centers are a giveaway to an industry that doesn't need the help. That money belongs in schools, clean energy, utility relief, and the communities that actually pay taxes in this state.

We're calling on Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont and state lawmakers to bring back the data center tax repeal bill in the next legislative session and pass it without delay.