Green County, Wisconsin, considers data center regulations; Op-ed calls for moratorium

Dan Wegmueller, owner of Wegmueller Farms and a regular columnist for The Monroe Times, penned an opinion piece strongly advocating for a permanent moratorium on data centers in Green County, Wisconsin. He criticized the Green County Zoning Department for currently lacking specific regulations for data centers in its code, noting that the concept was foreign when the code was originally written. Wegmueller argued that data centers, which process and store vast amounts of data for online services, artificial intelligence, and the internet, require perpetually growing storage. He illustrated this with examples like ADS-B systems in aircraft and new automobile technology that monitors driver impairment, emphasizing the constant collection of personal data. He dismissed "job creation" as a "pathetic, worn-out rally cry" used to infringe upon freedoms. A significant concern highlighted by Wegmueller is the immense water consumption by data centers, stating that an average facility consumes "millions of gallons of water PER DAY" for evaporative cooling. He linked this to international debates on water access as a basic human right, especially pertinent given the region's water supply. Concluding with a strong stance, Wegmueller called on the Green County Zoning Department to implement a "perpetual – not temporary – moratorium" on data centers. He expressed his profound opposition by quoting the Declaration of Independence, likening the arrival of data centers to planting invasive multiflora rose.