Raleigh, N.C. — CleanAIRE NC strongly opposes Senate Bill 730, currently under consideration by the North Carolina General Assembly. While its supporters frame the bill as a measure to reduce energy costs and protect communities from rapid data center growth, SB 730 offers only superficial concessions. In reality, it locks North Carolinians into costly fossil fuels, blocks affordable renewables, and threatens to dismantle the state’s landmark 2050 net-zero carbon goals.
On its face, SB 730 includes minor regulations that appear to be steps in the right direction. It requires large data centers to conduct noise studies, mandates closed-loop cooling systems to conserve water, and allows local governments to assess resource impacts. However, the bill fails to enact a meaningful moratorium on AI data centers, close state tax loopholes for developers, or protect residential ratepayers from footing the bill for massive grid upgrades.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 4, 2026
MEDIA CONTACT
Andrew Whelan, CleanAIRE NC, (919) 229-9293, [email protected]
In exchange for these modest rules on data centers, SB 730 would artificially constrain North Carolina’s energy mix. The bill halts the retirement of dirty, aging coal-fired power plants until they can be replaced, specifically by high-cost nuclear generation, to the exclusion of more affordable resources like wind and solar. By forcing a slow, expensive transition to nuclear while keeping coal plants burning, SB 730 ensures that ratepayers will be saddled with high energy bills for decades.
The bill also severely undermines North Carolina’s long-term climate goals. Despite numerous independent analyses showing that a shift to clean energy would ultimately lower utility bills, SB 730 calls for an inquiry into the state’s legally mandated 2050 net-zero target. CleanAIRE NC views this as a politically motivated attempt to manufacture a justification for scrapping the target entirely, following the General Assembly’s regressive move last year to eliminate the state’s interim 2030 carbon reduction goal.
SB 730 does not protect North Carolina ratepayers. It does not meaningfully reign in the growth of data centers. Instead, it exposes families to higher utility bills, dirtier air, and unchecked climate risks while giving a free pass to large tech developers and Duke Energy. CleanAIRE NC urges the General Assembly to reject SB 730 and establish real, enforceable guardrails on the data center industry.
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CleanAIRE NC is a statewide nonprofit organization advocating for the health of all North Carolinians by pursuing equitable and collaborative solutions that address climate change and air pollution.
