Port Washington Residents Urge DNR, Deny Air Quality Permits for Data Center

Residents of Port Washington, Wisconsin, along with environmental advocacy groups, are pressing the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to reject air quality permits for a large data center campus under construction by Vantage Data Centers. The $15 billion facility, which is being developed in partnership with OpenAI and Oracle to expand AI capacity, proposes to use 45 diesel-fired generators for backup power, which opponents warn could emit up to 48,500 tons of greenhouse gases annually and exacerbate local air pollution. During a virtual public hearing, residents like Dean Wiegert voiced concerns over the project's broader impacts, including noise, light pollution, traffic, and wildlife displacement, arguing that the DNR has not adequately studied these effects. Michael Greif of Midwest Environmental Advocates, representing Sierra Club Wisconsin, contended that the project's scale legally mandates a comprehensive environmental impact statement, highlighting the release of fine particle pollution and nitrogen oxides from the diesel engines. While the DNR has granted preliminary approval, asserting that Vantage will meet air pollution limits, critics, including former nurse practitioner Carri Prom of Great Lakes Neighbors United, pointed out that the facility is located in an area already exceeding federal ozone pollution standards. Prom and Greif also criticized the DNR's decision not to conduct air dispersion modeling. A Clean Wisconsin analysis estimates potential annual public health costs of up to $1.29 million from the generators' pollution. The project, expected to wrap up by 2028, has spurred significant local opposition over various environmental and quality-of-life issues. This public outcry led to Port Washington voters approving a referendum requiring voter approval for future large development incentives, signaling broader dissatisfaction with how the city approved a tax incremental district for the data center.