(The Center Square) – A transmission line to power a Port Washington data center is no longer planned to run through the property of a Saukville artist.
A new American Transmission Co. application has removed artist Tom Uttech’s property from its proposed routes after that plan was fought by the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty.
WILL argued that the plans to add transmission lines across Uttech’s 52-acre property would destroy the lanscape that has shaped Uttech’s artistic career.
“I am honestly relieved about this development, but I am afraid that this fight will continue across the entire country as more data centers are built,” Uttech said in a statement. “I am thankful for WILL for playing an integral role in preserving my land, my means of making a living, and taking a principled stand against eminent domain.”
The Uttechs did not plan to sell the property so it would have needed to be taken by eminent domain, WILL said.
The Port Washington data center has been the subject of public backlash as the $8 billion data center is planned to use the same amount of electricity as the city of Los Angeles.
WILL argued that there are other options on where to build the transmission line or using on-site power generation and eminent domain should only be used as a last resort.
“The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty exists to defend the rights of American citizens like Tom who faced down one of the biggest transmission companies in the Midwest,” WILL Deputy Counsel Lucas Vebber said in a statement. “We are not fighting a war against AI, but we will not allow companies to seek eminent domain for private gain. Period.”