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can.
>> All right. We leave it

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there. Grant Sovern, thanks
very much.

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>> Thank you.
>> What do the leading

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candidates running for
governor think about data

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centers? Here and now?
Senior political reporter

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Zac Schultz asked them as
part of our continuing

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series on the biggest
issues in the race for

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governor.
>> Wisconsin's utility

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companies are asking the
Public Service Commission

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to approve the largest rate
hikes in history. And

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that's before we see any
impact from the data

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centers being proposed
around the state. So we

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asked the candidates what
role the state should play

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in approving or
facilitating these data

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centers.
>> Exciting new technology.

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I think we need to make
sure, on the energy side of

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it, that we do not harm
existing ratepayers. So

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residential ratepayers and
manufacturers, it would be

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unfair to existing
manufacturers for them to

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pay much higher electricity
rates just because a new

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industry came in. So we're
going to probably have to

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find a new template. If AI
and the data center

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specifically come into
Wisconsin, we're probably

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going to have to find a new
template of how we deal

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with energy and the data
centers.

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>> There shouldn't be any
corporations that are

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coming in and jacking up
prices for ratepayers. And

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I'm not interested in the
state providing subsidies

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and handouts for large
corporations that are

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coming in who are really
going to impact our clean

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lakes, our air. And so the
subsidies that folks might

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be proposing and support
are really concerning to me.

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And I think right now we
are seeing democracy at its

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core strength with people
who are speaking out and

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defending their communities
and talking about why they

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do or do not support data
centers.

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to our party, if they want
to be here, let's invite

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them. But let's be at the
table making sure that they

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are good partners for the
state and making sure that

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we are negotiating the best
deals that we can for the

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state. I'm somebody who's
been at that table. I've

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had those conversations.
I've worked with the big

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data centers and the big
providers. I've worked with

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many big companies in
negotiating for Wisconsin,

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and I have that experience
that I would bring to the

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table, and I would be very
hands on in making sure

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that we're doing everything
we can to protect Wisconsin

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ratepayers, Wisconsin's
environment, but also take

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advantage of the
opportunity that's offered

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by the investment we're
seeing in technology.

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>> This is a huge issue,
and we need a statewide

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strategy to deal with data
centers because they're

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coming into local
communities and kind of

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steamrolling them. And I
think that people deserve

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to have a voice in what
happens in their

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need to really know what
the impact is going to be

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on our environment, on the
water and land usage, as

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well as the impact on
ratepayers for these data

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centers. I've sponsored
legislation along with my

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colleague, Senator Jodi
Habush Sinykin, to ensure

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transparency as these data
centers are coming in and

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trying to negotiate.
>> So data centers, it's

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important for us if they
are going to be built here,

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there has to be a community
benefits agreement. If they

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are to come. That means
ensuring that there is

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local hiring. That means
ensuring that utility rates

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are not going up for
customers. It also means

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ensuring that community
input is prioritized. There

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shouldn't be data center
construction if there's

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mass opposition from the
communities that they are

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going to go in. And this
also means addressing

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concerns like water quality.
>> We all have a little

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anxiety about that, and you
see that at the local level

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with these things. But I
think the responsibility

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that we have fundamentally
is to just ensure that

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these conversations, some
that are happening at the

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state level, a lot that are
happening at the local

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level, that they are the
main thing that we have

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with them is that there is
transparency around them

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and that the users of this
are accountable and that,

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you know, the benefits
accrue to all of us and

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that the responsibility for
the costs aren't borne by

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taxpayers. In the state of
Wisconsin.

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be a conversation with the
community, and we want to

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make sure that those data
centers are in a community

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that wants them. But what
we have to do on the front

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end is to make sure,
contractually, that the

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energy uses are not going
to be borne on the back of

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taxpayers, that they are
going to be investing,

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particularly in renewable
energy, and that they are

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going to be bearing those
costs for those energies,

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because we certainly don't
want it to be on the backs

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of taxpayers.
for us to utilize new

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technology, leverage the
legacy industries that we

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have here locally. When you
think about manufacturing

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and agriculture and and
water technology and things

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of that nature, to really
make it a community benefit,

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you know, bringing in a
tech tech centers and data

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00:04:55,429 --> 00:04:58,465
centers and AI can be good,
but we have to make sure

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that we have those
protections in place, while

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also making sure that
there's community benefits

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that are going to be tied
to this level of

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development. How do we
utilize this for our

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schools? How do we utilize
this to expand broadband?

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How do we utilize this to
to to expand the access

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that our entrepreneurs have
in every corner of the