As part of the settlement of a lawsuit, Wisconsin environmental regulators will conduct a review of the environmental effects of AI data center development, according to a report in the Wisconsin State Journal.
The settlement, reached on Oct. 16, follows a July lawsuit filed against the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources by Midwest Environmental Advocates on behalf of the Sierra Club.
The environmental groups alleged the DNR issued permits for the Lighthouse data center campus in Port Washington without conducting a review of its environmental impact.
Parties to the settlement include the DNR, Sierra Club and Vantage Data Centers, developers of the Lighthouse data center campus.
Michael Greif, an attorney for Midwest Environmental Advocates, said in a statement that the lawsuit has become an opportunity to address the data center issue “on a much bigger scale.”
“Looking at these impacts holistically is important because the impacts of data centers are statewide,” Greif said. “State regulators will now have to examine the cumulative impacts of data center development across Wisconsin.”
