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Residents and supervisors press Rock County to study, limit hyperscale data centers
Summary
Residents urged Rock County supervisors to pause or study proposals for hyperscale data centers — citing groundwater, air quality, water use, safety and limited local jobs — while a supervisor said he will seek a ban on nondisclosure agreements tied to such projects.
Residents and several supervisors pressed the Rock County Board of Supervisors to slow or block proposals for hyperscale data centers, raising concerns about groundwater, air and noise pollution, emergency risks and local economic benefits.
Public commenter Tim Cullen told the board that data centers proposed for Polzin Road near Fenwick and the former General Motors plant in Janesville posed “extremely dangerous” risks, including what he described as a two-mile evacuation radius and large inventories of lithium batteries that, if they burn, could emit toxic gases. His remarks drew no technical rebuttal during the meeting.
Other speakers asked the county to take formal steps before agreements are made. Judy Robson of Beloit asked the board or a relevant committee to request an environmental assessment or an environmental impact statement (EIS) from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to analyze wastewater, municipal water, the potential use of PFAS in closed-loop systems, air quality, noise and light pollution. “This rapid boom of data centers in Rock County and their impact on the communities, on our homes, and on our farms is currently unknown,” Robson said.
Sue Fugate of Beloit urged a moratorium on hyperscale projects “until people can study this issue thoroughly,” citing other Wisconsin counties that have paused such projects. Linda Wallace, the mother of a newly elected supervisor, said data centers often bring few long-term onsite jobs and can impose social and environmental costs that accrue to communities rather than developers.
Julie Bradley and Colleen Wieg described specific local concerns: Bradley said her family lives downwind of a proposed Beloit site and worried about well water, livestock, property values and rising electric rates; Wieg referenced reported well impacts near an existing site in Beaver Dam and urged stronger community protections such as a referendum or mitigation requirements.
Supervisor Gorman acknowledged the public’s unease and said county staff have been active in facilitating introductions between tech companies, local governments and private landowners. He said he will reintroduce a proposal to ban nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) tied to hyperscale data-center projects and will work with other supervisors to reduce county staff promotion of such developments. “I will also be working with other concerned supervisors to make sure our county staff stop pumping the gas for data center projects and start pumping the brakes,” Gorman said.
Why it matters: Supervisors’ comments and the cluster of public testimony show broad community concern about environmental and economic impacts. Requests for an EIS and for a moratorium, and a supervisor’s pledge to propose an NDA ban, indicate potential next steps that could affect whether and how projects proceed.
What’s next: Speakers requesting formal study and a moratorium said they expect the board or a committee to consider their proposals; Supervisor Gorman said he will bring forward a ban on NDAs. The board did not adopt any moratorium or EIS request at this meeting.
