Center for Water Policy Director, Professor, and Lynde B. Uihlein Endowed Chair Melissa Scanlan was featured in a recent Wisconsin Examiner article examining the rapid growth of large-scale data centers across Wisconsin and their implications for the state’s water and energy systems. The article explores the mounting local debates surrounding data centers, particularly concerns over electricity demand, water use, and the lack of a coordinated statewide approach to managing these developments.
Professor Scanlan emphasized the need for comprehensive, statewide oversight to ensure that Wisconsin’s resources are managed sustainably:
“There should be a state-level review of all of the potential proposals, so that the state can assess the impact on electricity generation and water supply,” Scanlan said. “Doing it in a piecemeal way, where you’ve got local governments deciding about hosting, but then utilities that are committed to supplying the electricity and water, is going to very quickly bump up against the realities of our ability to generate electricity in a responsible way.”
Read the full story here: Wisconsin residents look for more input from state on mushrooming data centers
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