As data center projects dot the nation's landscape, public backlash is not letting up, according to a new poll showing three-quarters of Americans oppose such a project in their backyard, with similar sentiments in Wisconsin.
The survey from Heatmap News showed 75% of respondents either somewhat or strongly oppose the construction of a data center in their community, slightly higher than Heatmap's spring survey and a significant jump from the same poll a year ago.
Blaine Halverson, Menomonie resident and founder of Uniting West Wisconsin, said based on neighbors Halverson has talked to, there is genuine fear.
"It is something that I think people in their gut know is going to change the basic nature and soul of their community," Halverson said.
Other polling indicates while the public might recognize certain economic benefits touted by developers, respondents are more worried about effects on the environment and quality of life.
Halverson stressed organizing partners want to inspire local governments to be proactive with tougher ordinances and other safeguards as big land-use decisions involving data centers surface. He acknowledged there is a lot of nuance to absorb as communities grapple with such moves, adding it is reasonable for people to be completely opposed to the idea of a hyperscale data center.
Halverson noted this type of infrastructure has been around for decades, with the need to store information like health records but suggested the recent rapid growth has forced residents to weigh community-altering projects without much warning.
"The way they're scaling now dwarfs it so much that it makes the whole thing loom large as a threat to anyone, just the words, because it's the first time many people have really used the words 'data center,'" Halverson observed.
Across the U.S. and in Wisconsin, residents in areas where data centers are proposed or being built have often criticized their local elected leaders for not being fully transparent about their talks with developers. It was a central issue as the city of Menomonie began considering a 320-acre facility. The public outcry prompted new zoning plans this summer.
Oneida County recently passed a one-year moratorium on data center development, to allow time for rules governing such development to be drafted.
