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Madison, WI — Today, Midwest Environmental Advocates (MEA) filed a lawsuit on behalf of Sierra Club Wisconsin challenging a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) decision to issue permits for a massive data center campus in Port Washington without fully evaluating the project’s environmental consequences.
The lawsuit comes after emails obtained through a public records request revealed that DNR staff initially informed data center representatives that a detailed Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) would be required due to the scope and scale of the project. After data center representatives complained that an EIS would “kill the project,” the DNR reversed course and decided to conduct a more limited “environmental analysis summary.” The agency has never publicly explained that decision.
“The Port Washington data center is unlike anything Wisconsin has seen before,” said Elizabeth Ward, Sierra Club Wisconsin Chapter Director. “It will completely transform the local landscape, consume staggering amounts of electricity and water and significantly increase fossil fuel emissions. At a time when scientists warn that greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, we cannot afford to be making long-term decisions that move us in exactly the opposite direction.”
