Congressional candidate calls for regulations on data centers
Brad Smith, a candidate for Wisconsin’s 6th Congressional District, called for federal regulations requiring data centers to be transparent, give communities a voice, protect the environment and prevent costs from being shifted to utility ratepayers. He said the district is home to two of Wisconsin’s first hyperscale data centers and expressed concern about their effects on communities, water, families and the environment.
Brad Smith, a candidate for Wisconsin’s 6th Congressional District, said Congress should urgently establish safeguards for data center development. Drawing on his visits to the district’s two hyperscale data centers and conversations with affected residents, Smith argued that communities have not had sufficient influence over how the facilities are being developed.
Smith called for requirements covering transparency, community input, environmental protection and financial responsibility for damage or stranded assets. He also warned that data center-related costs should not be shifted to utility ratepayers, while acknowledging that the district’s communities remain concerned about the projects’ broader impacts.