They wonder why a data center is necessary, why it can’t be stopped and why the project can’t be anything else. That sort of community feedback has become more common across Wisconsin and the nation as public hostility toward data centers has grown. Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers earlier this year introduced bills that would have regulated data centers in Wisconsin. The GOP bill, which passed in the state Assembly, would have required data centers to pay for power grid work. As data center debate roars in Wisconsin Rapids, mayor says lack of state rules harms cities was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.