Data Center Accountability

Data centers and the companies developing them must pay their fair share for energy and take responsibility for their environmental impacts. While these new technologies have potential benefits, there are currently no clear state regulations for data centers. I have made my position clear to the members of the Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities, that I will only support their appointment if they are committed to holding the line on residential utility rates.

The data centers currently being developed are enormous in size with each one using the same amount of energy as hundreds of thousands of households. Here is some of the legislation I supported this session to hold these companies accountable:

·         SB 729 would set guardrails to protect utility ratepayers and Wisconsin’s land and waterways. It requires that data centers report on energy consumption and water usage and would ensure they pay their fair share for utilities.

·         SB 1061 would put a pause on data center development until certain legal requirements are put in place including: a prohibition on shifting utility costs onto ratepayers; the elimination of state and local subsidies for data centers; mandatory public reporting of water and energy usage; safeguards for pollution levels; a requirement that energy to power data centers must be 100% renewable, among other requirements.

·         SB 1152 would protect residential ratepayers from footing the bill on power plants or utilities built to serve a data center if it is decommissioned and does not pay for itself.