The data center boom is running into local resistance

About this episode

The episode discusses local resistance to data center construction in Wisconsin and its implications for energy and AI expansion.

A Wisconsin town recently passed a first-of-its-kind referendum blocking future data center construction, one of several similar efforts appearing on ballots at the local and state level during this year’s midterm elections. These fights come as data centers, a major part of President Donald Trump’s AI agenda, come under increased scrutiny from voters raising concerns about their energy and environmental costs. POLITICO’s Tyler Katzenberger breaks down the lessons from this recent Wisconsin election and what these efforts could mean for the future of the U.S. power grid and AI expansion. Tyler Katzenberger is a Sacramento technology reporter for POLITICO. Nirmal Mulaikal is the co-host and executive producer of POLITICO Energy. Matt Daily is the energy editor for POLITICO. Cyril Zaneski is executive editor of POLITICO’s E&E News. Debra Kahn is the editorial director for energy and environmental coverage at POLITICO. Veronica Tejera is the deputy head of Audio/Video at POLITICO. Our theme music is by Pran Bandi. Follow the show on Apple, Spotify, Youtube and Instagram. Follow POLITICO here: ➤ X: https://x.com/politico/ ➤ Instagram: / politico ➤ Facebook: / politico For more…

People in this episode

Hosts: Tyler Katzenberger, Nirmal Mulaikal

Topics covered

• data centers
• local resistance
• energy costs
• environmental concerns
• AI expansion
• political referendums

Keywords

• data centers
• Wisconsin
• energy costs
• environmental impact
• AI agenda
• midterm elections

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: POLITICO

Places: Wisconsin

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