Madison — During today’s Assembly floor session, State Representative Amaad Rivera Wagner (D-Green Bay) voted “no” on Assembly Bill 840, a Republican led data center bill that was rushed through the Legislature without adequate protections for ratepayers or meaningful input from impacted communities.
“Data centers are a serious and emerging challenge for communities across Wisconsin. They affect our electric grid, water systems, land use, and local taxpayers. These are not partisan issues, and they do not respect geographic boundaries.”
Residents in the Town of Greenleaf in Brown County recently rallied in opposition to a proposed data center project, raising concerns about water use, infrastructure strain, and long term community impacts. Public opposition to AB 840 has extended beyond Brown County, including from a well-known Wisconsin comedian who formally registered opposition to the bill.
According to testimony, AB 840 fails to protect ratepayers from increased utility costs associated with large scale data center development. Every union representing the men and women who live and work in Green Bay has come out in opposition to the bill.
“When every union representing working people in Green Bay is telling us this bill misses the mark, we should be listening. According to testimony, this legislation simply does not protect ratepayers.”
Despite these warnings, legislative leadership fast tracked the bill in less than a week.
“Serious problems require serious effort. Rushing a major bill without buy in from workers, residents, local leaders, or the people who will ultimately bear the costs is not how our government should work.”
Rivera Wagner emphasized that data center development requires collaboration across party lines and regions of the state. “We should be bringing stakeholders to the table, not sidelining them. We should be finding pathways to collaborate on an issue that affects rural, suburban, and urban communities alike.”
While committed to addressing the growing impact of data centers on Wisconsin communities, Rep. Rivera Wagner made clear that AB 840 falls short. “I look forward to working with my colleagues to address the real challenges posed by data center development. But this bill, as written, is not enough, and I cannot support it.”
