Why We Support a Temporary Moratorium on New Data Centers

Data center. (CC0)

At first glance, our districts could not be more different.

One includes neighborhoods with some of the highest property values in Milwaukee, and the other includes neighborhoods with some of the lowest. Our communities have different histories, different housing markets, and different daily realities.

Yet we often find ourselves voting together on legislative issues because we share a belief that the people of Milwaukee should always be in the driver’s seat when decisions are made that will shape their future.

That belief is why we are calling for a temporary moratorium on new data centers until Milwaukee adopts thoughtful regulations built with public input.

This is not about opposing artificial intelligence. AI is transforming the economy, and Milwaukee should be positioned to benefit from that transformation. However, we should not let wealthy corporations dictate the terms under which that future arrives in our city.

Communities across the country are grappling with hard questions about what data centers mean for electricity, water, neighborhoods, noise and public infrastructure. Too often, residents are left playing catch-up after the decisions have already been made.

We watched our neighbors in Port Washington literally get removed from public meetings while trying to make their voices heard. That community is now facing litigation over alleged noise impacts. Whether one supports or opposes that particular project is beside the point. The lesson is that communities deserve a genuine chance to ask questions, get honest answers, and help shape outcomes before decisions become irreversible.

Data centers like those being built in Racine and Port Washington consume as much energy as an entire city. Because our energy infrastructure remains overly reliant on fossil fuels, huge increases in energy demand inevitably result in increases in climate change-causing emissions. Every unit of government needs to do what’s possible to slow down this type of development and figure out the most appropriate way to minimize negative impacts.

Milwaukee has the chance to do just that.

We believe residents — not algorithms, not outside interests, not wealthy corporations — should help decide what our collective future looks like. That means taking the time to get the answers right before approving projects that could shape our city for generations.

A temporary pause is not anti-business. It is pro-democracy. It gives residents, businesses, environmental experts, labor, utilities, and neighborhood organizations the chance to build a framework that welcomes innovation while protecting Milwaukee’s people, resources, and neighborhoods.

Milwaukee doesn’t have to choose between innovation and self-determination, but it does have to choose whether residents help write the rules, or simply live with them.

The people of Milwaukee, not AI, and not the companies selling it, should decide what comes next.

By Ald. Marina Dimitrijevic and Ald. Russell W. Stamper, II