Wisconsin data centers; panel discussion Tuesday night in Milwaukee

Data center proposals are popping up across Wisconsin, and now there are dueling state bills to regulate them, including what it means for your utility bills. 

The Wisconsin Policy Forum says the state has 40 data centers with more proposed in Mount Pleasant, Janesville, Beaver Dam and Port Washington.

On Tuesday night, Feb. 3, the Wisconsin Policy Forum will host a panel discussion about the location of new data centers in Wisconsin. 

The meeting will be held at the Wisconsin Club in downtown Milwaukee from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. 

Related

Wisconsin data centers; Assembly passes bill to place restrictions

Microsoft’s data center expansion in Racine County has sparked a debate in Madison, where lawmakers are split over a GOP bill aimed at regulating data centers and preventing higher utility costs.

Microsoft’s data center

What we know:

Microsoft’s data center project in Racine County is poised to grow significantly, as new government records show the tech giant plans to build 15 additional data centers in Mount Pleasant. 

The expansion comes as the Wisconsin Assembly passed a bill that would place restrictions on large data centers.

Related

Wisconsin data center bills; lawmakers debate regulation tactics

Data center proposals are popping up across Wisconsin, and now there are dueling state bills to regulate them, including what it means for your utility bills.

Utility costs in focus

What we know:

Republicans and Democrats agree that there should be new restrictions placed on data centers, but they disagree over what that should look like.

Data centers require large amounts of electricity, sometimes prompting the need for new power plants and infrastructure. A central worry for lawmakers of both parties is whether utility companies should be allowed to pass those costs on to everyday customers.

Under the Republican-backed proposal, the Public Service Commission would be responsible for ensuring that no utility costs associated with serving large data centers are passed on to other customers. 

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But Democrats have questions.

"We have a public advocacy organization, Citizens Utility Board. Their whole, entire purpose is to keep rates as low as possible for customers," said State Rep. Angela Stroud, D–Ashland. "They also said that the Republican bill will not keep rates low for customers."

The Source: Information in this post was produced by FOX6 News.

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