Wisconsin communities signed secrecy deals for billion-dollar data centers

Post by ajam1507 » Fri, Jan 30, 2026, 6:54 PM UTC

jeffbee wrote: post #200

state_less wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Obviously data center bidders would prefer their activity to be kept in the dark, but does that make for good outcomes for anyone else except the bidders. First, the community would like to weigh in on whether they want a data center or not, often they don't. Then if they do, they'd rather have a bidding war than some NDA backroom deal with a single entity. All this does is serve Big Tech and Big Capital, and they do…

> the community would like to weigh in on whether they want a data center This is the enabler of pure NIMBYism and we have to stop thinking this way. If a place wants this kind of land use and not that kind, then they need to write that down in a statute so everyone knows the rules. Making it all discretionary based on vibes is why Americans can't build anything.

Post by cowpig » Fri, Jan 30, 2026, 7:01 PM UTC

simianwords wrote: post #305

cowpig wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are capable of considering effects of systems outside of your immediate, moment-to-moment needs?

are _you_ capable of consdering the advantages that AI can bring instead of simply focusing on the easy parts like pollution and energy?

Post by jadbox » Fri, Jan 30, 2026, 7:04 PM UTC

upboundspiral wrote: post #269

dguest wrote: post #39

I'd like to hear the argument for why this is needed. I can imagine a number of reasons, but this is all I found in the article: > If I’m a company considering making strategic investments... I don’t want my competition to know where I’m going, what I’m doing, what pace I’m doing it at... You want to make sure everything is buttoned up and bow tied before that type of information is put into the public realm. I'm hav…

What I've come to realize is that the rust belt states have been in huge trouble for decades. They were living in "benevolent feudalism" when GM, Ford, etc all had factories there. The problem is that these companies effectively owned the cities in which they operated. And then they left. Since the Reagan years we decided to export everything that built our economy so the landlords in power could have even more profi…

Post by wat10000 » Fri, Jan 30, 2026, 7:18 PM UTC

duped wrote: post #301

wat10000 wrote: post #179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's pretty wild. People around me are complaining that their electric bill tripled and blaming data centers for it. No, your rates didn't triple in the last year. Your bill went up because you used way more electricity, probably because it's been ass-freezingly cold.

My rate has been consistently 40-60% higher over the last year independent of weather

Post by tptacek » Fri, Jan 30, 2026, 7:27 PM UTC

dguest wrote: post #39

I'd like to hear the argument for why this is needed. I can imagine a number of reasons, but this is all I found in the article: > If I’m a company considering making strategic investments... I don’t want my competition to know where I’m going, what I’m doing, what pace I’m doing it at... You want to make sure everything is buttoned up and bow tied before that type of information is put into the public realm. I'm hav…