Western Wisconsin to come together for data center awareness event with Charlie Berens
A local group in Western Wisconsin is hosting a data center awareness event featuring comedian Charlie Berens, aiming to empower communities. The event, held in Eau Claire, seeks to unify residents in their efforts to implement protections against future data center developments.
Lane Halverson, a resident of Menomonie, Wisconsin, is organizing an awareness event following his city's successful effort to block a proposed $1.6 billion data center project last year. Halverson, alongside Great Lakes Neighbors United and Grow, will host "Uniting Western Wisconsin, a regional response to data centers" this weekend at High Country in the Eau Claire event district.
The event aims to foster empowerment and unity among communities in Western Wisconsin, providing them with the knowledge and leverage to protect themselves against the impacts of data center development. Wisconsin comedian Charlie Berens will be a featured speaker, using his platform to highlight the importance of transparency, accountability, and early protections for communities facing this new and powerful technology. Currently, there are 12 proposed data center projects across Wisconsin.
Berens emphasizes the need for communities to stay informed at the local level and hold politicians accountable. The event, which has already registered over 700 attendees, will focus on these principles and will also be live-streamed on Facebook. The overall goal is to equip residents to respond effectively to the controversial topic of data centers in the Badger State.