WED AM News: State Affairs Insider: Experts stress data center transparency; Brown Co. official touts impact of maritime commerce

August 12, 2026

— More transparency, community engagement and ratepayer protections could help allay growing concerns over data center development, as support for the much-needed facilities plummets, experts said on a State Affairs Insider panel that included Charles Franklin.

Data centers — specialized buildings that house servers and other networking equipment needed to support everything from artificial intelligence to video streaming and financial transactions — have become a lightning rod in today’s political landscape.

They can require large amounts of continuous power and hundreds of thousands of gallons of water a day to cool their computing systems, depending on the size of the facility.

For the moment, data center opponents are winning, as more cities and states enact moratoriums on further construction and regulations surrounding water and energy use and transparency.

But more disclosure of power and water use, engaging surrounding communities earlier in the process and taking steps to protect ratepayers could help ease the tension surrounding the facilities, the experts said.

According to a recent Marquette University Law School poll, 76% of respondents said the costs of data centers outweigh the benefits.

That represents a massive swing from last October when only 55% said the costs outweigh the benefits, with 45% believing the benefits were worth the costs.

“It’s truly striking,” Franklin, director of the Marquette Law School poll, said of the shift in opinion. He was a featured speaker during yesterday’s event.

Opponents typically argue that the massive facilities are being built in neighborhoods, put upward pressure on electricity rates, threaten grid reliability and the environment, are loud and unsightly, and receive tax benefits that subsidize the richest companies that have ever existed, including Amazon, Meta and Microsoft.

Supporters argue that they are increasingly needed to support economic growth and innovation as more and more sectors of the economy depend on digital services, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence.

Franklin said that the opposition appears to be bipartisan, with nearly 70% of Republicans believing costs outweigh the benefits.

The Marquette law school professor attributed that across-the-board opposition to the business community, a natural ally, and political candidates staying mostly silent on the issue of data centers.

“I think one part of this is that a lot of the communications about data centers has been dominated by opponents, and supporters have not been particularly visible, at least here in Wisconsin,” Franklin said. “One clear finding from public opinion research is that when the communication is all on one side of an issue, it tends to move all people in the direction of that one-sided communication.”

Franklin also said he believes that data center opposition stems from a general unease many have with artificial intelligence.

“When we’ve asked whether artificial intelligence will be good for society or bad for society, substantial majorities say bad for society, including a majority of those who use AI at least every month,” Franklin said.

See more coverage from the event here.

— Brown County Harbor Commissioner Barb LaMue says maritime shipping is good for global competitiveness as well as local business development.

Speaking yesterday during the 2026 Port Symposium in Green Bay, LaMue noted the United States currently ships just 2% of its domestic freight by water, compared to 44% and 61% for Europe and China, respectively.

“We underscore the benefits of the port and what it means to an economic impact that we can add not only to our region, but to the state of Wisconsin, the United States and certainly globally,” she said of the commission’s role.

LaMue’s remarks highlighted the Port of Green Bay’s 13-mile channel with 14 core operators, which move more than 2 million tons of cargo on about 200 ships per year. While she touted the key role of this ship traffic, she noted economic impact from the port spreads out for hundreds of miles.

“It’s important for us that we take a multi-modal approach to how we move product in and out of our region,” she said. “And to that end, we have trucking lines that provide overnight delivery within a 400-mile radius of our port.”

She also outlined core targets of the port’s 2026 Strategic Plan for economic development, which ranges from expanding cargo shipping to further industrial development in the region as well as promoting domestic and international trade.

“Everything that we talk about is really rooted in business development, businesses drive our economy,” she said, adding “we certainly can’t forget about cruise and maritime tourism and the opportunity that we have to bring more cruise ships.”

To ensure the financial stability of the port, LaMue said local officials are looking for new opportunities in addition to existing state and federal grants, such as bonding and other grants for capital investment.

“As we look at revenue growth, we know we’re part of a foreign trade zone,” she said. “And how do we really capitalize on that, especially with tariffs that are placed on businesses, that we can get out more in front of this and show the benefits of being in a foreign trade zone.”

Cargo shipping through the port reached nearly 274,000 metric tons in June, nearly doubling the amount in June 2025 of about 138,000. That’s according to the port’s latest tonnage report, in which Port Director Dean Haen called the increase an “encouraging sign” for the region.

See the plan.

Listen to a recent podcast with Port Director Dean Haen.

— Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson defended his approach to addressing housing challenges during the latest Rotary Club of Milwaukee meeting, pointing to efforts to refurbish foreclosed homes, invest in workforce housing and more.

Johnson, a former member of the Milwaukee Common Council who’s been mayor since 2021, acknowledged the city’s issues around housing during yesterday’s Rotary gathering.

An audience member who identified himself as Dan Jenkins noted the city has about 14,000 evictions per year and asked Johnson what has changed since the Pulitzer Prize-winning book “Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City” was published in 2016. The nonfiction book explored the impacts of eviction on Milwaukee families.

Johnson noted his personal connection to the neighborhoods included in the book, adding “I recognized a number of the street names … because I lived on those same streets.” He said his own experience influenced his decision to declare 2026 the “year of housing” in Milwaukee.

“We’re addressing housing in Milwaukee in ways that I’m very, very proud of,” Johnson said. “And as folks here know, as you increase supply, you lower the cost.”

Johnson touted the city’s use of American Rescue Plan Act dollars to improve city-owned tax-foreclosed housing, offering local entrepreneurs the opportunity to “fix those properties up” and sell them at a reduced rate.

“Now the City of Milwaukee has a workforce housing policy that we’re enacting to help especially those young professionals to have an opportunity to live in a house where they’re not also rent-burdened in our city,” he said. “So we’re addressing that.”

Meanwhile, the city is working with Habitat for Humanity, the Community Development Alliance and others to develop “backbone TIDs” or tax incremental districts, allowing Milwaukee to borrow against the growth of its tax base to offer loans for qualifying projects.

“We’re using these very interesting shapes and city-owned vacant lots to build affordable housing on those lots, and creating more housing opportunities for folks in the City of Milwaukee,” he said. “We’ve supported downpayment assistance for folks … who will become homeowners in the city.”

Between the start of January and the end of June, Milwaukee has had 680 residential permits totaling an estimated $15 million, according to figures from the city. That includes 25 residential addition permits, 211 residential alteration permits, 105 new construction permits and 339 residential repair permits.

Watch the video.

— Nominations open Aug. 24 for the Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin contest, kicking off the 11th annual competition hosted by Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce.

WMC this week announced the start of the nomination period for the contest, which aims to showcase the most popular manufactured products made in the state. Nominations are being accepted through Sept. 1, followed by several rounds of voting in September and October. This year’s winner will be announced Oct. 27.

The winner of the 2025 contest was Search and Rescue 1000 Island Airboats, manufactured by Marion-based 1000 Island Airboats, beating out nearly 150 nominees.

See more on this year’s contest.

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