New Publication: Hyperscale Data Centers in Wisconsin – Big Tech Unchecked – a toolkit for community action

Hyperscale Data Centers in Wisconsin – Big Tech Unchecked: A toolkit for community action. Published December 2025.

In fall 2025, Wisconsin’s Green Fire (WGF), collaborated with Sierra Club of Wisconsin, Midwest Environmental Advocates, and Healthy Climate Wisconsin on a new publication about hyperscale data centers in Wisconsin. Available now, Big Tech Unchecked: A toolkit for community action is a free resource for anyone interested in data centers and local communities. Together, we prepared this toolkit especially for municipalities and community organizers.

As the introduction to the toolkit states:

“The emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is changing the internet. It is also changing the physical landscape of communities across Wisconsin, as an influx of tech companies seek to build “hyperscale” data centers that support AI.”

Click here to read or download Big Tech Unchecked: A toolkit for community action [PDF].

Many Wisconsin communities are racing to deal with new resource-hungry data centers proposed around the state. Common concerns about data centers include their massive energy consumption needs, water usage, land use, and their impact on the cost of utilities for ratepayers.

We can all benefit from understanding the information and options available to our communities. In this toolkit, readers will learn what hyperscale data centers are, their potential impacts, and ways to mitigate the worst impacts.

Reflecting on the toolkit, WGF’s Executive Director Meleesa Johnson shared:

“I am extraordinarily proud to have represented Wisconsin’s Green Fire in the creation of the Big Tech Unchecked data center toolkit.  I brought to the table my background in local government, land use planning, zoning codes, annexation, and methods of direct legislation. This paired well with the outstanding expertise of Sierra Club of Wisconsin, Midwest Environmental Advocates and Healthy Climate Wisconsin. 

The goal of this multifaceted approach—environmental, legal, public health, and land use—is to help local stakeholders think broadly about the impacts of data centers and provide resources for engagement.  The toolkit is truly about the public policy process, a process that belongs to the many, not just the few.”

Join us for the webinar about the toolkit on Jan. 13, 2026.

Want to learn more about the toolkit and how to use it? Join Healthy Climate Wisconsin, the Midwest Environmental Advocates, the Sierra Club-Wisconsin Chapter, and Wisconsin’s Green Fire as we walk through the new toolkit during our webinar on January 13, 2026 at 6pm CT. We will have time for questions and discussion of local actions.

• Register for the webinar via Zoom here.
• Date: January 13, 2026
• Time: 6:00pm CT

What to Expect in the Toolkit

The toolkit is packed with background information about data centers and their impacts. We also include information about local and state permitting, and some important laws. Additionally, the toolkit contains several pages on different ways that ordinary people can take action, either as individuals or as organizations. Each section is only 1-2 pages, including lots of vibrant photos and graphics. We wanted this toolkit to be convenient to break down into smaller segments so different readers can find and share the information they need with ease. Click here for downloadable versions of different segments of the toolkit.

• Introduction
• What is a Hyperscale Data Center?
• Why are Data Centers Coming to Wisconsin?
• Impacts of Data Centers
  • Electricity
  • Energy Bills
  • Health
  • Land & Water
  • Water Bills
  • Light & Noise
• Transparency
• Case Studies: Communities Push Back
• Permitting Process
  • Local Approvals
  • Types of Local Planning Documents
  • Annexation & Direct Legislation
• State Permitting
• Wisconsin Public Service Commission Permits
• Types of PSC Proceedings Related to Date Centers
• Wisconsin Environmental Policy Act
• Public Records Law
• Open Meetings Law
• Take Action: What You Can Do
  • Protect Your Community from Footing the Bill
  • How to Participate in PSC Processes
  • Submit a Comment or Sign Up to Testify
  • Organize Your Neighbors and Others in the Community
  • Spread Awareness About Your Concerns
  • Pitching a News Story
  • Social Media
  • Print Media: Letters to the Editor (LTE)
• Conclusion and References

Learn more

• Read other WGF publications here.
• Read the news release about the Big Tech Unchecked toolkit.