Rep. Tenorio: Calls out Republicans for failing to deliver real data center regulation

“The Republican-led data center bill offers nothing but lip-service. We deserve better.”

MADISON — Today, Assembly Republicans rushed the passage of Assembly Bill 840, a bill claiming to regulate data centers, less than a week after introduction. Instead of delivering meaningful oversight, the bill amounts to nothing but a campaign talking point. Rep. Tenorio (D-West Allis) released the following statement:

“To be frank, I’m disappointed. We need data center regulation, and we need to do it right. Rushing a bill through the public process without consulting conservationists, utilities, government agencies, or constituents is insulting. This is an important issue that will impact the lives of our communities for decades to come. We deserve better. 

“We deserve legislation that doesn’t give blank checks to industry, shift costs onto ratepayers, strain our water resources, and hollow out working-class jobs. If a data center wants to operate in our state, it should be required to reduce emissions, conserve water, pay its fair share, and invest in communities and workers. Assembly Bill 840 fails to achieve that on all levels. It is a terrible bill.

“To me, the worst part of the bill is the renewable energy provision. Instead of requiring data centers to add new renewable capacity to the grid, this bill makes that harder. Instead of reducing emissions, it locks them into dirtier, more expensive fossil fuels. Instead of lowering long-term energy costs, it fragments energy planning and drives inefficiency that ultimately shows up on people’s utility bills.

“If we are serious about protecting ratepayers, workers, and the environment, we must demand real solutions, not lip-service. I will continue to fight for those solutions.”