Petition to pause Wis. data centers tops 1,000 signatures, protests set

More than 1,000 Wisconsin residents have signed a petition to pause approval of data center projects until state leaders place more guidelines on their energy and water use.

The petition, created by environmental advocacy group Clean Wisconsin, called for policymakers to stop approving data centers powering artificial intelligence until the state creates “a comprehensive plan” for regulating the projects. The petition has collected more than 1,200 signatures as of Nov. 26, the organization says.

The petition pointed to the projects’ demand for large amounts of energy and water, which it said could negatively impact the environment. Clean Wisconsin says two approved data center projects are expected to use more electricity than all Wisconsin homes combined.

It’s the latest sign that Wisconsinites remain concerned about the growth of data centers.

Protests against data centers set for Dec. 1 and Dec. 2

Statewide actions and protests against proposed or planned data centers are set for Dec. 1 and 2 at government meetings or local landmarks in Milwaukee, Kenosha, Beaver Dam, Menomonie, Janesville, Madison and Port Washington.

A Marquette University Law School poll recently found Wisconsin voters across political parties view data centers as having more costs than benefits to the local communities where they are built.

“These enormous projects are using resources we all share. We must ensure that when an AI data center comes to Wisconsin, it will benefit — not harm — our communities,” Mark Redsten, Clean Wisconsin president and CEO, said in a statement Nov. 25.

“That means real transparency, it means allowing time for community members to be fully informed, and it means comprehensive planning at a statewide level,” he added.

The petition follows Microsoft canceling its plans for a data center in Caledonia in response to local residents and officials. The company said it still may look to build a data center at a different site in the area.

Companies are still moving forward with large data center campuses in southeast Wisconsin, including Microsoft’s $7.3 billion investment in two Mount Pleasant data centers and a $15 billion Port Washington campus powering tech giants OpenAI and Oracle.

Clean Wisconsin said without more extensive oversight and transparency about data center energy and water usage, “the harm to Wisconsin communities and its environment could be irrevocable.”

Earlier this month, state lawmakers introduced a bill to establish stronger transparency surrounding data center projects’ water and electricity consumption.

These projects’ high demand for power has led We Energies to propose $5.5 billion in new energy projects, including seven solar fields and two natural gas plants.

Under the proposal, data center companies would pay 75% of the cost to build and maintain the two natural gas plants.

The utility also proposed a separate rate for data center companies to ensure that “costs will not be shifted from data centers to other customers,” spokesperson Brendan Conway previously told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Ashley Luthern of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Petition to pause Wis. data centers tops 1,000 signatures, protests set

Reporting by Francesca Pica, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

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