Paying for coal and another data center

Families and businesses across Wisconsin will likely help pick up the tab once again to keep coal burning in another state. The Trump Administration is ordering two aging coal plants in Indiana to stay open, even though energy regulators there say they are not needed. The cost to bring the plants back online is expected to reach tens of millions of dollars and will likely be paid through price increases on customers across the Midwest grid, including here In Wisconsin. Wisconsinites are already paying higher bills to help pay for a plant in Michigan that the Administration ordered to restart last May. Residents in the northeastern Wisconsin town of Greenleaf say they’re getting offers from an AI data center developer to buy their land. According to local TV reports, the land parcels targeted are between Highway 57 and the East River. It’s unclear what company is behind the offers. Knowledge is power. For a deep dive into Wisconsin’s most pressing environmental issues, check out my Defender Podcast at cleanwisconsin.org or wherever you get your podcasts.