Wisconsin City Votes on AI Data Center Regulations

In a significant decision, residents of Port Washington, Wisconsin, a city with a population of about 12,000, overwhelmingly approved a new ballot measure aimed at regulating artificial intelligence data centers. This follows a substantial $15 billion proposal for a data center supported by former President Donald Trump.

The measure, which passed with a 66% approval rate—essentially two-thirds of the votes—marks a historic move, being the first of its kind in the nation. Although it won’t immediately halt the construction of the proposed OpenAI-Oracle-Vantage data center, by October 2025, the measure will require public approval for major tax incentives tied to future large-scale developments in the area, as reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

“This is a huge step forward for us,” stated Brad Tietz, the state policy director for the Data Center Coalition, an organization supporting data center initiatives. He remarked that it was rare to see direct voter input on such pivotal issues.

Yet, the local residents behind the successful ballot measure saw things differently. “We’re not particularly anti-development,” noted Cari Prom, a Port Washington mother and co-founder of Great Lakes Neighbors United, the advocacy group behind the measure. “We’re not even really anti-technology. It’s just that we want responsible development and responsible technology moving forward.”

A town hall meeting attracted hundreds of Port Washington residents who expressed their opposition to the controversial $15 billion data center project. The event featured Wisconsin comedian Charlie Berens, who grew up not far from the city and has a notable online presence.

“There are more regulations when it comes to bratwurst than there are in the entire artificial intelligence community,” Berens commented during a town hall in February, emphasizing the need for community-driven decisions regarding development.

An Emmy Award-winning journalist, Berens is known for his humorous takes on Midwest culture and has used his platform to advocate for stricter regulations on data centers. In an earlier video, he humorously critiqued a Wisconsin bill for being insufficiently stringent against AI developments.

The proposed Port Washington data center aims to feature four advanced facilities that would collectively provide nearly a gigawatt of AI capacity. According to Vantage Data Centers, construction is slated to start soon, with completion expected by 2028. The project promises to create over 4,000 construction jobs and more than 1,000 long-term positions, with thousands of additional indirect jobs anticipated.

This initiative is part of the broader $5 trillion Stargate project, which has garnered presidential backing and aligns with OpenAI’s broader goals, coinciding with significant developments during President Trump’s second term.