[ [link removed] ]Francesca Hong for Governor[ [link removed] ]Francesca Hong for Governor



Jack,

Yesterday, We Energies — Wisconsin's largest utility, serving more than a
million households — filed with state regulators for a [ [link removed] ]14.75%
residential rate hike. If approved, it would be the sixth increase since
2020. 

Why is this happening? Blame AI. We Energies is spending $6 billion on new
power generation, and hyperscale data centers — like Microsoft's campus in
Mount Pleasant — are driving most of that new demand. 

We Energies says they have a plan to keep data center costs off your bill.
But the state's own analysts found [ [link removed] ]loopholes — including a cost-sharing
arrangement where residential customers still pick up 25% of the tab for
new gas plants built to serve data centers, plus all fuel costs.
Wisconsin's Citizens Utility Board called it "another double-digit
increase for customers who have already seen their bills rise much faster
than inflation."

Also this week: Researchers at the University of Cambridge found that AI
data centers are creating [ [link removed] ]"heat islands" — warming surrounding land by
up to 16 degrees Fahrenheit and affecting an estimated 340 million people
worldwide. That’s a serious hazard. Heat islands mean worse heat waves,
worse air quality, and real health risks — especially for the communities
closest to these facilities.

There are already more than 3,000 data centers operating in the U.S., with
nearly 1,500 more planned or under construction. These facilities are
being fast-tracked into communities without adequate protections for the
people who live there. 

My CONTROL-ALT-DELETE plan calls for a moratorium on data center
construction until we know how to protect ourselves from their
environmental and energy costs. If a community decides it wants to build a
data center, any new construction must use union labor and follow three
rules:

* No tax breaks for private profit — Wisconsin already handed out $40
million in data center subsidies last fiscal year
* Fund new renewable or clean energy infrastructure with strict
environmental protections
* Infrastructure must be publicly owned — so whatever the long-term
outcome of data centers, we build something useful for all
Wisconsinites

Our wallets, our environment, and our future is at stake. 

[ [link removed] ]Please chip in whatever you can - $5, $15, $25 - so this campaign can
keep fighting.



[ [link removed] ]Donate $5 ››



In solidarity,

Fran







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