At least 4 Wisconsin communities signed secrecy deals for billion-dollar data centers
Summary
Wisconsin Public Radio reports on a Wisconsin Watch investigation into secrecy around billion-dollar data center proposals in Wisconsin. It details nondisclosure agreements signed by municipal development authorities in Beaver Dam, Menomonie, Kenosha, and Janesville, as well as other secrecy measures in DeForest and Mount Pleasant, and notes that some communities did not sign NDAs. The story discusses the lack of public disclosure on whether data centers would be built, their scale and potential energy and water demands, and references proposed state legislation to bar data center NDAs. It also presents reactions from local officials, residents, and industry groups, and places Wisconsin within a broader national pattern of limited transparency around data-center projects.