MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin Public Service Commission approved a contract between Meta and Alliant Energy on Thursday, but not before changing some of the language written in it — a decision that divided community members paying close attention to AI data center development across the state.
A Jefferson County community organizer watched the meeting online feeling encouraged. A Grant County resident has her doubts about the process. Both had come looking for the same thing: transparency.
Watch: Wisconsin residents split on PSC's Meta data center ruling: 'Promising' or 'too late' for transparency
Community organizer Sarah Zarling of Jefferson County said the PSC's revisions signal that public input was heard.
"This is promising for the future in that way," she said. "It shows they were paying attention to the public, citing specific comments and specific things that they heard interveners say."
Zarling added that the commission's attention to public comment was meaningful.
Grant County resident Melodie Betts was less convinced—saying it's too late.
"Do you trust the PSC?" TMJ4 News asked. "No. Not at this point, but I wanted to," she said. "I would hope that they're going to keep people and citizens in mind, but we don't need anymore electricity at this point."
The PSC itself acknowledged a lack of transparency in the process. Chairperson Summer Strand warned that secrecy around deals like this one carries real consequences.
"This lack of transparency is hurting not helping," she said. "When communities feel like information is being hidden, withheld and that they're only getting half-truths or patted on the head and told contracts or agreements are a product of negotiation that no one else has a say in. That dismissive disdain and opacity breeds skepticism, opposition and the rampant spread of misinformation."
Meta issued a statement in response to cost concerns.
"We do pay the full costs for energy used by our data centers, so consumers aren't paying our costs."
The PSC's contract language changes could impact future data center production in the state.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
