MANITOWOC COUNTY, Wis. (WFRV) – Three rural Manitowoc County towns have taken a big step to safeguard themselves against potential data center projects.
At a joint meeting on Thursday evening, three town boards separately passed the same resolution asking Manitowoc County officials to put a moratorium on data center projects that haven’t been approved yet. The three towns are Two Creeks, Two Rivers, and Mishicot.
“I think the sooner you enter into fact-finding and putting in safeguards for your community, the better you are,” town of Mishicot chairperson Dean Anhalt said.
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The moratorium would last for one year with the option to extend by six months. Anhalt said that any potential data center project in the three towns would likely require a zoning change, which the towns have veto powers over.
Several landowners who live in the area have told Local 5 News that people have approached them wanting to buy up their land to use for a data center project. Anhalt told Local 5 News that NextEra Energy and Cloverleaf Infrastructure are the companies scouting out land for a potential data center project in Manitowoc County.
A Cloverleaf Infrastructure representative had previously told Local 5 News that their company has looked throughout Northeast Wisconsin for a good place for a potential data center project. The representative wouldn’t confirm if one of those spots was in Manitowoc County.
Rural Manitowoc County residents have told Local 5 News that they don’t want a data center in their county for several reasons. They worry about the environmental impact and don’t want to destroy the farmland in the county. They also worry that energy and water costs could go up for community members (data centers require large amounts of water to keep their equipment cool).
Anhalt said that constructing one of these facilities requires a lot of time and heavy equipment that can rip up local roads. He said he’d also like more transparency.
“They’re looking to lease the lands, and other than the landowners, everybody has been kind of out of the loop as far as communication, so just have more transparency,” he said.
A Cloverleaf Infrastructure representative had previously told Local 5 News that data centers bring significant tax revenue into a community and also create high-paying jobs.
The overwhelming majority of people whom Local 5 News has spoken to or heard from over the last few weeks have said they don’t want a data center built in their county.
At the meeting on Thursday night, residents thanked the board members for listening to their concerns and taking action.
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“I commend each board for standing up and hearing us as the town residents,” Manitowoc County resident Bob DesJarlais said. “They are reflecting exactly how the system should work.”
The resolution asking for a moratorium on data centers now goes to the Manitowoc County Planning and Park Commission. If that committee green-lights the resolution, then it would go in front of the whole county board.
“You start voicing your opinion, it’s a small voice and opinion, but it can make a difference,” Manitowoc County resident Linda Eis said.
