With the goal of attracting a new industry into Connecticut, Gov. Ned Lamont has signed legislation providing long-term tax breaks to data centers, the 21st century warehouses of countless bits of information stored by users as varied as medical researchers, academics and financial services companies. Opponents call it corporate welfare that provides overly-generous tax breaks. Legislation overwhelmingly passed the House of Representatives Feb. 24 on a 133-13 vote and was approved by the Senate, 29-5. Gov. Lamont, signed the bill into law on March 5. The bill authorizes the state Department of Economic and Community Development to sign tax incentive agreements with qualified data centers for 20- or 30-year terms, depending on the size and location of the data center investment. Pushing back against criticism of data centers’ consumption of electricity, Lehman said major companies with data centers are increasingly looking to use zero- or low-carbon energy. Connecticut’s grid, with a large nuclear power component and agreements for future offshore wind, “would bestow (on) Connecticut…substantial new economic activity,” he said.
https://www.norwichbulletin.com/story/news/2021/03/09/lamont-signs-bill-lure-high-tech-industry-state/4642008001/