It was inevitable that the disaster that is The Data Center would finally reach the interest of the average person.
For a preview of past information on Data Centers read the September 2025 blog on Energy-Hungry Data Centers. Is it too late?
Who Should Pay?
Who should pay for the high energy demands of AI Data Centers?
Currently, there are no limits protecting the homeowner from higher energy costs passed on by Data Centers that are emerging on the landscape the size of a small city.
In Wisconsin, no lists of Data Centers, and no restrictions on water usage, are required.
With multiple large campuses emerging in southeast Wisconsin, including a new nearly 700-acre Vantage AI project in Port Washington that broke ground in December, the debate over data centers is a divisive topic in small communities. – WISN News WI, Jan 5, 2026
After years of declining electricity usage, Wisconsin is now projected to see rising energy demand in the next few years.
Bill to Regulate Data Centers
A bill introduced by Sen. Romaine Quinn, R-Birchwood seeks to shield rate payers from Data Center costs. The WI bill would ensure:
• Prohibits energy costs for data centers from being passed on to other customers
• Requires any renewable energy used to power data centers to be located at the site
• Requires water used by a data center for cooling purposes to be recycled
• Requires data centers to annually report the total amount of water used
• Requires a data center to file a bond or security sufficient to cover the cost of any required reclamation
• If construction of a proposed data center is not completed, the owner must restore the parcel to the condition that existed prior to any construction.
While conditions of the bill support residents and the environment, this bill must pass muster with Wisconsin Governor Evers, who is likely to veto it.
Politics
Arguably, there are fewer vetoes in years when the governor and Legislature are the same party. But Evers has vetoed more than is typicalwith a habit of vetoing Republican bills.
On a positive note, Evers did sign a law banning cell phones in school, something that agrees with the science, which blames lower test scores (cognitive function) on smartphones. At least 32 states now have some kind of restriction on student use of the devices in schools.
Further, research also shows a negative relationship between smartphone use and life satisfaction, happiness, and this decline in achievement.
So why with cell phones? Why not the source?
