Brown County commission to vote on data center moratorium
The Brown County Commission in Wisconsin is scheduled to vote on a proposed countywide moratorium on data center development. The proposal, introduced by Supervisor Christopher Wery, aims to pause new data center projects until specific regulations can be established. Concerns include potential strain on the electrical grid and the current lack of dedicated laws for data centers.
The Brown County Commission in Wisconsin is set to vote on a countywide moratorium for data center development. The County's Planning, Development and Transportation Committee will meet to discuss the proposal from Supervisor Christopher Wery.
Wery's proposal aims to halt new data center construction and permit applications until comprehensive regulations for these sites are established. He highlighted that data centers represent a new form of development and that the county needs to enact regulatory legislation to address potential issues, such as strain on the electrical grid. Wery emphasized the importance of guiding responsible industrial development in Wisconsin.
Currently, there are no specific laws in Brown County addressing data centers, leaving it to individual municipalities within the county to create their own regulations. The Village of Ashwaubenon's government is also scheduled to discuss regulating hyperscale data centers, with their meeting coinciding with the Brown County commission meeting. The commission meeting will be held at 5:10 p.m. at the Northern, but will not be live-streamed.