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Milwaukee Common Council opposes We Energies’ data center rate plan

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Milwaukee Common Council opposes We Energies’ data center rate plan


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The Milwaukee Common Council has called on state utility regulators to reject We Energies’ data center rate proposal in its current form.

The council unanimously adopted a resolution March 3 opposing We Energies’ proposal to create a separate energy rate for large-scale data centers, saying the plan does not go far enough to protect ratepayers.

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At the same time, a group of council members led by District 14 Ald. Marina Dimitrijevic is drafting a six-month moratorium on data center development in the city of Milwaukee.

We Energies’ plan “is not a good deal for Milwaukeeans,” Dimitrijevic said during a Common Council meeting March 3.

We Energies’ proposal would create a separate energy rate for “very large” customers with an expected load of 500 megawatts or more. These very large customers, which include data center developers like Microsoft and Vantage, would pay for the massive amount of new infrastructure being built to serve them.

In October, We Energies filed plans to build more than $5 billion in new solar projects and natural gas plants to meet electricity demand brought by hyperscale data centers.

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The utility says its rate plan protects customers from bearing costs associated with these projects, and hold data center companies responsible for costs through the life of the new assets.

“Our proposal is fair, transparent, and establishes strong safeguards — including binding agreements so data centers owners, not other customers, pay for the infrastructure they require,” We Energies spokesperson Brendan Conway said in a statement. “That means Wisconsin families are not subsidizing these projects.”

The resolution, introduced by Dimitrijevic, calls for stronger ratepayer protections, including binding service agreements that last the life of new infrastructure and include termination charges. It also wants the “very large” customer threshold lowered from 500 megawatts to prevent avoidance by data center companies.

In filings submitted to the Public Service Commission, We Energies said it would be willing to lower the threshold to 250 megawatts.

The resolution took particular issue with We Energies’ proposed cost split for the new natural gas plants. Under the current proposal, data center companies would pay for 75% of operating and maintenance, and other ratepayers would cover the remaining 25% as well as annual fuel costs.

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We Energies says the plants will serve all customers as demand for energy is projected to rise across rate classes.

“If data centers never existed, we would’ve had to have built other plants, other power generation to meet our customers’ increasing need,” Conway previously told the Journal Sentinel.

The resolution said data center companies should pay “100% of all incremental and fixed costs required to serve them, including generation capacity, operations and maintenance, and fuel costs attributable to serving the data center load.”

Council members’ concerns echo those brought by environmental and consumer advocacy groups during a public hearing Feb. 10. The Public Service Commission will rule on the proposal by May 1.

This is not the first time the City of Milwaukee has weighed in on We Energies cases brought before the Public Service Commission. It’s intervened in opposition to previous energy rate hikes proposed by the utility, arguing they disproportionately burden thousands of low-income Milwaukee households.

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In December, Dimitrijevic proposed a six-month moratorium on data center development in the city. The pause will give council members time to establish a regulatory framework for large-scale data center proposals, she told the Journal Sentinel.

“Sometimes the economy moves so quickly that we haven’t been able to catch up in licensing,” Dimitrijevic said. “We have to set up a careful way to regulate it and have public input.”

A group of aldermen want to require data center developers apply for a special use permit through the Milwaukee Zoning Appeals Board, a process they say creates more transparency. Should this pass, large data center proposals would be subject to public hearings, and the Zoning Appeals Board can reject a plan based on public health concerns.

The moratorium will receive a public hearing in the next few weeks.

This article was updated to include new information.

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Francesca Pica can be reached at fpica@usatodayco.com.



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Milwaukee, WI

Southeast Wisconsin winter storm watch; snow, ice, dangerous wind gusts

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Southeast Wisconsin winter storm watch; snow, ice, dangerous wind gusts


A winter storm could bring a messy mix of snow, ice and strong winds to Wisconsin this weekend, with significant impacts potentially lasting into Monday. 

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch from 7 p.m. Saturday through 4 p.m. Monday for much of the state.

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While the exact track remains uncertain, the setup could produce a prolonged period of winter weather with changing precipitation types and hazardous travel.

Additionally, a high wind warning is in effect until 4 p.m. Friday for all of southeast Wisconsin. 

Storm arrives Saturday night

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What we know:

The storm is expected to begin developing across southern Wisconsin Saturday evening as warmer air surges northward ahead of an approaching low pressure system. Snow will likely develop first across much of the area.

Sunday snow and ice

As the storm intensifies overnight Saturday into Sunday, warmer air aloft may push into parts of southern Wisconsin. That could lead to a wintry mix of sleet and freezing rain, especially along and north of Interstate 94. Ice building up on power lines can cause widespread power outages. Some areas may also briefly see rain mix in farther south.

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This phase of the storm could produce accumulating ice in parts of the FOX 6 viewing area, which would increase the risk for slippery roads and cause power outages as ice builds on trees and power lines.

Sunday Snow and Ice

Snow and wind increase Sunday night

What we know:

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Later Sunday, colder air is expected to wrap back into the system. That should change precipitation back to moderate to heavy snow Sunday evening into Monday, with snow potentially lingering through much of the day Monday.

Strong winds will accompany the storm, and those winds could create areas of blowing snow. Visibility could drop below a quarter mile at times when heavier snow bands develop.

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The combination of heavy snow and strong winds may produce near-blizzard conditions in localized areas, especially where snow falls consistently.

Snow Sunday Night and Monday

Travel could become very difficult

Dig deeper:

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If the storm develops as expected, travel conditions could deteriorate quickly late this weekend. Travel could become very difficult or even impossible at times, with blowing snow and icy roads likely.

Strong winds combined with the weight of snow and ice may also bring down tree branches and power lines, potentially causing sporadic power outages.

Forecast uncertainty remains

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Dig deeper:

While confidence is increasing that a significant storm will impact the region, several important details are still uncertain. Small changes in the track of the storm could dramatically affect snowfall totals and where the heaviest ice develops.

The FOX 6 Weather Experts are also monitoring the potential for what’s known as a dry slot wrapping into the storm, which could temporarily reduce precipitation in parts of southern Wisconsin before snow returns on the back side of the storm.

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Areas farther north in Wisconsin currently have the highest confidence for heavier snowfall, while locations near the Illinois border may see more mixing and lower snow totals.

What happens next

What’s next:

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Conditions should gradually improve Monday evening as the storm pulls away, and high pressure moves into the region. 

You are strongly encouraged to monitor updated forecasts over the next 24 to 48 hours, as winter storm watches are often upgraded to warnings as confidence increases.

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The Source: The information in this post was provided by the FOX6 Weather Experts and NWS Sullivan. 

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South Milwaukee death investigation; 2 found dead from gunshot injuries

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South Milwaukee death investigation; 2 found dead from gunshot injuries


Police are investigating after two people were found dead inside a South Milwaukee home Thursday afternoon, March 12.

What we know:

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According to the South Milwaukee Police Department, officers conducted a welfare check around 2:40 p.m. at a residence near 13th and Manistique.

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Police said officers entered the home and found a 22-year-old woman and a 28-year-old man dead inside. Authorities say both appeared to have died from gunshot injuries.

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A firearm was recovered at the scene.

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The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office told FOX6 News the deaths are still under investigation.

Investigators say the incident appears to be isolated and there was no threat to the public.

The Source: The South Milwaukee Police Department provided information in this report.

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Milwaukee Music Premiere: VLNTYN, ‘Wrong Turn’

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Milwaukee Music Premiere: VLNTYN, ‘Wrong Turn’


Every week, the Milwaukee Music Premiere sponsored by Density Studios connects the city’s artists with our listening audience. If you’re an artist with a track you’d like us to debut exclusively on Radio Milwaukee, head over to our Music Submission page to learn how.

Interpreting the meaning behind a song isn’t always easy. Sounds that transmit a particular vibe to one person can give off something completely different to someone else. Even lyrics that seem obvious can be misinterpreted — or misheard entirely (“Excuse me … while I kiss this guy”).

For the new single from his VLNTYN project, Milwaukee’s Jorge Vallentine doesn’t go quite so far as to build an entire world for the listener. But he does show them the door.

More accurately, Valentine explained the entryway in notes provided with “Wrong Turn,” the track we’re helping him premiere today. “Through a mysterious red doorframe, a dark world exists,” he wrote about the song, adding that it “carries you across the threshold into that world’s brooding atmosphere.”

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The opening moments of “Wrong Turn” don’t so much kick that door in as cautiously extend a hand toward the knob. An ominous guitar lick punctuated by the occasional kickdrum sets the scene while Vallentine laments, “I took a wrong turn too far back / to remember now.” What he remembers with crystal clarity are the choices he made and how they damaged those around him:

Guess I’m no better than my father
Stumbling through lessons I can’t learn
Hurt myself, hurt lovers
Drowning in deeper waters
I took a wrong turn too far back
To remember now

Like the lyrics, the sonic footprint of the track doesn’t offer relief or resolution. The closest “Wrong Turn” gets to catharsis is a guitar solo around the midway point, but even that would rather maintain the tension than provide any kind of release.

The same feeling carries over to the song’s final moments, with another guitar contribution that walks right up to the edge of a wail before backing off and surrendering to an understated final few lines, followed by a few quick hits on the snare that are more ellipsis than period. It’s an abrupt ending that suggests self-forgiveness isn’t in the cards. “A dark world,” to be sure.

You can listen to “Wrong Turn” by VLNTYN on demand using the player at the top of the page or on 88Nine throughout today (7:30 and 11:30 a.m.; 3:30 and 7:30 p.m.). The single’s official release date is March 18, after which VLNTYN will play shows at Ope! Brewing Co, (April 11) and MKeUltra (May 16).

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