***This is NOT the petition for binding legislation to get large developments on the GM/JATCO site sent to referendum. This is a "we don't want a data center" statement that we can use to show City Council and city staff that our community does not want a data center. For more information on the petition for binding legislation and ways to sign that petition, please email nojanesvilledatacenter@gmail.com***

NO JANESVILLE DATA CENTER

Data Centers – Economic, Environmental, and Health Liabilities!

Data centers may sound like engines of progress, but across the country they have left communities struggling with hidden costs that far outweigh any promised benefits. A simple look at other municipalities tells a clear story: unchecked energy consumption, enormous water demands, and long-term environmental and public health risks.

• Public Health Impact – Poor air quality directly translates into poorer health outcomes for residents. According to recent estimates, the public health burden of U.S. data centers will reach more than $20 billion annually by 2030—a figure double that of the entire U.S. coal-based steelmaking industry.
• Profound Environmental Impact – These facilities contribute not only to increased greenhouse gas emissions, but also to degraded water quality, diminished local water supply, light pollution, and noise pollution. In many cases, these issues were overlooked or ignored during planning and only became clear once the damage was done—when it was far too late to reverse.
• Economic Trade-Offs – Data centers create very few jobs relative to the massive square footage they occupy. In many communities, entire facilities spanning hundreds of thousands of square feet employ only a few dozen people, some of whom may not even live in our community. This is an extremely poor return on investment in terms of local employment, particularly when compared to other industries that could use the site to generate both jobs and community value.
• Industry Uncertainty – Experts are now openly questioning whether we are in an AI bubble with massive investment pouring into infrastructure that may not deliver lasting returns. If this bubble bursts, communities like ours will be left with sprawling, resource-hungry data centers that no longer serve their original purpose, but still consume extraordinary amounts of energy and water. In short, we risk being saddled with an environmental and economic liability long after the industry has moved on.
• Tax Implications – Data centers coming into Wisconsin are being exempted from the sales and use taxes that drive state and county budgets, allowing us to maintain roads, fund schools, provide services at the state and county levels, and support shared revenue for local municipalities. There are no sunsets on these provisions – at this time, this exemption exists in perpetuity once certified. There are no caps on the dollar amount that can be exempted in a year and no ties/contingencies to local job creation or maintenance to keep the exemption. Taxpayers (both small business and individual) throughout the city of Janesville and the state at large will largely subsidize a data center project because of the existing tax exemptions.

Take a minute to sign this petition letting the Janesville City Council know that Janesville deserves better. Protecting our environment, our resources, and most importantly, the health of our residents must take precedence over the interests of outside corporations. Please consider responsible redevelopment options that support the needs of the local community instead.

Click the "Email decision maker" links below to send emails to each of the City Councilmembers asking them to say NO to a data center in Janesville! 

*If the Councilmembers' emails don't show, you can use citycouncil@ci.janesville.wi.us to send an email that will go to all 7 Councilmembers at once.