Land Conservation Committee takes up transmission and data centers
The Crawford County Land Conservation Committee in Wisconsin is actively discussing strategies to regulate data center development, expressing concerns about their environmental and economic impacts. Despite lacking county-level zoning authority, the committee is examining how other counties and states, such as Allamakee County, Dane County, and Maine, have implemented moratoriums or zoning amendments. Committee members emphasized the urgency of addressing data center impacts and the need for greater transparency at the local level.
The Crawford County Land Conservation Committee (LCC) in Wisconsin is continuing its discussions on industrial energy projects, specifically focusing on data center development, transmission lines, and utility-scale renewable energy projects. Chaired by Supervisor Gary Koch, the committee is researching methods for counties to protect themselves from potential adverse impacts of data centers, noting that Crawford County currently lacks county-level zoning, making direct regulation challenging.
During a recent meeting, County Conservation Director Dave Troester informed the committee about a detailed zoning ordinance amendment recently enacted by Allamakee County, Iowa, aimed at regulating data centers. Supervisor Mary Kuhn from Utica Township strongly advocated for proactive measures, highlighting that 68 municipalities across the U.S. have issued data center moratoriums and referenced the State of Maine's recent statewide moratorium. Kuhn expressed significant concerns about data centers' high water consumption, citing figures of 300,000 to 500,000 gallons per day for small facilities and billions for larger ones, questioning the impact on aquifers.
The committee acknowledged that an update to the county's comprehensive plan later in the year would likely address data centers. Supervisor Al Thompson of Freeman Township added that local residents perceive few benefits from data centers and stressed the need for towns to develop more transparent zoning processes. While discussing data centers, the Crawford County Board of Supervisors also unanimously approved a resolution, initially recommended by the LCC, to formally oppose the proposed 765kV MariBell bulk electrical transmission line, which is intended to traverse areas within Crawford County and is part of a larger energy infrastructure project. This decision reflects broader concerns about large-scale industrial infrastructure and its environmental, economic, and scenic impacts on the Driftless Area.