keep people warm. Diana of Administration, thanks
very much. >> Thank you.
>> With more than 45 data centers in Wisconsin and
more planned and announced in what feels like every
day, local communities already grapple with zoning
issues and public pushback. But now comes a state
legislative bill to regulate the centers built
by tech giants like Microsoft and Meta to
process artificial intelligence data.
Democratic state Senator Jodi Habush Sinykin of
Whitefish Bay is author of the bill. And Senator,
thanks very much for being here.
>> Thank you. I appreciate the invitation.
>> Why does Wisconsin need a law regulating these data
centers? >> Wisconsin currently has
no laws on the book books that provide any regulatory
oversight with regard to transparency,
accountability for water usage, for energy rates,
for those community impacts that people are very
concerned about. So this legislation is intended to
provide that overarching regulatory framework to
fill that current vacuum. >> How much does the
proliferation of these centers feel like? The wild,
wild West? >> A lot, very much so. As
I have been hearing from my constituents and others
around the state, there is this recognition that in
the absence of information there. It creates worry and
distrust and uncertainty about the impacts, not just
on themselves and their families and communities,
but for our futures. >> How does your bill
protect utility ratepayers or consumers?
>> It's a great question because we really wanted to
focus on that in terms of the transparency and
accountability. Again, too high in Wisconsin, and
with winter coming on, it's very much front and center
on people's minds, especially in these
uncertain economic times. So what this bill does is
it establishes a very large customer class, which these
big data and data centers would fall into, and that
class would be responsible for the extremely high
energy production needs that they call upon, not
individuals or families separate from them.
>> How does it track water usage and to what end?
>> That's also a question that people have in a very
legitimate concern. People are very curious about how
much water will be used, particularly from the Great
Lakes, is what I hear a lot of. And again, this bill is
very focused on accountability and
transparency, which is very much part of Wisconsin's
values. And rather than allowing the water use to
be hidden with some of these non-disclosure
and the like, it requires the disclosure of how much
water will be used and in what fashion.
>> In the face of a state law addressing data centers,
how important in your mind is local control?
>> Local control is where it all begins. People don't
always understand that. So I'm really glad you asked
about that. The idea of where these data centers
developments proceed happen at the local level by local
city officials and governments. For the state
legislators like myself, I feel we need to show up at
the table from the state level to provide some kind
of uniformity and a regulatory framework, again,
that helps hold these big data centers and big tech
accountable to Wisconsin. >> What kind of bipartisan
support do you have for this regulatory bill?
>> Well, we were just introduced it last week,
but I'm again, glad you glad that you asked this,
because I am very much hoping for bipartisan
support for this bill myself. I'm a Democrat, but
my Republican colleagues are hearing from the same
constituents with the same concerns about property
value impacts, water usage. As we've already discussed,
energy rates, climate change concerns with regard
for hopes for renewable energy, all of that. But
because the legislature is very much still controlled
by the Republican in both the Senate, Republicans, in
both the Senate and the Assembly, we need them to
lean into this, an interest in providing a regulatory
framework for our state, because they decide where
to what committee, and whether or not there will
be a hearing held. And I really want to underscore
because that's when the public comes in and shares
their thoughts, their concerns, their asks. And
that's how bills across the board become better. That's
the iterative process that is so important here. But
we need Republicans to important next step.