https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/api.php?action=feedcontributions&feedformat=atom&user=Randylyon 2026-07-28T15:51:19Z User contributions MediaWiki 1.45.1 https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=WINDERS,_Jacqueline&diff=187759 2026-07-27T19:36:04Z

<p>Randylyon: </p> <hr /> <div>[[Image:windersj.jpg|left|thumb|250px|]]WINDERS, Jacqueline. (Paris, France, Mar. 23, 1925--Dubuque, IA, July 4, 2026) Jacqueline Annie Winders' father Paul Clerc (1876-1930) and mother Annie (Taylor) Clerc (1898-1968), were active in musical theater. Jackeye (sic) spent her teenage years in Nazi-occupied Paris. After passing her baccalaureate (B.A. equivalent) in 1942, she worked for the French Resistance as a secretary and a courier.<br /> <br /> The liberation of Paris in August of 1944 brought many American soldiers to Paris, including Sergeant Eugene Winders. Gene and Jackeye fell in love and were married in the Église St.-Laurent in 1945. When Gene was discharged back home to Dubuque, Jackeye joined 400 other war brides on an Atlantic crossing that brought her to the land which she adopted for the next 80 years.<br /> <br /> Shortly after arriving in Dubuque, Jackeye began her teaching career with an after-school French beginners course at [[DUBUQUE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL]]. By 1956, she was on the staff of [[CLARKE COLLEGE]], now [[CLARKE UNIVERSITY]] where she taught for 31 years. At Clarke, she earned an MA degree and eventually became chairperson of the French department. During the summer, she led study tours to France with her students.<br /> <br /> Jackeye and Gene raised three delightful children—Richard (1948); Jeffrey (1955) and Dominique (1964) and had a busy social life entertaining both Clarke faculty and longtime Dubuque friends. After Jackeye retired in 1987, the couple not only kept a summer garden, but traveled throughout the US and Canada in a motor home and made trips to Europe. They spent their winters along the Gulf Coast outside Corpus Christi, TX. Jackeye also co-wrote a beginner’s French dictionary and translated letters by Bishop [[LORAS, Mathias|Mathias LORAS]].<br /> <br /> ---<br /> <br /> Source:<br /> <br /> Obituary, Tribute Archive, Online: https://www.tributearchive.com/funeral-homes/us/iowa/dubuque/egelhof-siegert-casper-funeral-home-and-crematory/fh-746820/1000<br /> <br /> <br /> [[Category: Educator]]</div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=WINDERS,_Jacqueline&diff=187758 2026-07-27T19:34:47Z

<p>Randylyon: </p> <hr /> <div>[[Image:windersj.jpg|left|thumb|250px|]]WINDERS, Jacqueline. (Paris, France, Mar. 23, 1925--Dubuque, IA, July 4, 2026) Jacqueline Annie Winders' father Paul Clerc (1876-1930) and mother Annie (Taylor) Clerc (1898-1968), of musical theater. Jackeye spent her teenage years in Nazi-occupied Paris. After passing her baccalaureate (B.A. equivalent) in 1942, she worked for the French Resistance as a secretary and a courrier.<br /> <br /> The liberation of Paris in August of 1944 brought many American soldiers to Paris, including Sergeant Eugene Winders. Gene and Jackeye fell in love and were married in the Église St.-Laurent in 1945. When Gene was discharged back home to Dubuque, Jackeye joined 400 other war brides on an Atlantic crossing that brought her to the land which she adopted for the next 80 years.<br /> <br /> Shortly after arriving in Dubuque, Jackeye began her teaching career with an after-school French beginners course at [[DUBUQUE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL]]. By 1956, she was on the staff of [[CLARKE COLLEGE]], now [[CLARKE UNIVERSITY]] where she taught for 31 years. At Clarke, she earned an MA degree and eventually became chairperson of the French department. During the summer, she led study tours to France with her students.<br /> <br /> Jackeye and Gene raised three delightful children—Richard (1948); Jeffrey (1955) and Dominique (1964) and had a busy social life entertaining both Clarke faculty and longtime Dubuque friends. After Jackeye retired in 1987, the couple not only kept a summer garden, but traveled throughout the US and Canada in a motor home and made trips to Europe. They spent their winters along the Gulf Coast outside Corpus Christi, TX. Jackeye also co-wrote a beginner’s French dictionary and translated letters by Bishop [[LORAS, Mathias|Mathias LORAS]].<br /> <br /> ---<br /> <br /> Source:<br /> <br /> Obituary, Tribute Archive, Online: https://www.tributearchive.com/funeral-homes/us/iowa/dubuque/egelhof-siegert-casper-funeral-home-and-crematory/fh-746820/1000<br /> <br /> <br /> [[Category: Educator]]</div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=File:Windersj.jpg&diff=187757 2026-07-27T19:34:14Z

<p>Randylyon: </p> <hr /> <div></div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=WINDERS,_Jacqueline&diff=187756 2026-07-27T19:33:56Z

<p>Randylyon: </p> <hr /> <div>[[Image:windersj.png|left|thumb|250px|]]WINDERS, Jacqueline. (Paris, France, Mar. 23, 1925--Dubuque, IA, July 4, 2026) Jacqueline Annie Winders' father Paul Clerc (1876-1930) and mother Annie (Taylor) Clerc (1898-1968), of musical theater. Jackeye spent her teenage years in Nazi-occupied Paris. After passing her baccalaureate (B.A. equivalent) in 1942, she worked for the French Resistance as a secretary and a courrier.<br /> <br /> The liberation of Paris in August of 1944 brought many American soldiers to Paris, including Sergeant Eugene Winders. Gene and Jackeye fell in love and were married in the Église St.-Laurent in 1945. When Gene was discharged back home to Dubuque, Jackeye joined 400 other war brides on an Atlantic crossing that brought her to the land which she adopted for the next 80 years.<br /> <br /> Shortly after arriving in Dubuque, Jackeye began her teaching career with an after-school French beginners course at [[DUBUQUE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL]]. By 1956, she was on the staff of [[CLARKE COLLEGE]], now [[CLARKE UNIVERSITY]] where she taught for 31 years. At Clarke, she earned an MA degree and eventually became chairperson of the French department. During the summer, she led study tours to France with her students.<br /> <br /> Jackeye and Gene raised three delightful children—Richard (1948); Jeffrey (1955) and Dominique (1964) and had a busy social life entertaining both Clarke faculty and longtime Dubuque friends. After Jackeye retired in 1987, the couple not only kept a summer garden, but traveled throughout the US and Canada in a motor home and made trips to Europe. They spent their winters along the Gulf Coast outside Corpus Christi, TX. Jackeye also co-wrote a beginner’s French dictionary and translated letters by Bishop [[LORAS, Mathias|Mathias LORAS]].<br /> <br /> ---<br /> <br /> Source:<br /> <br /> Obituary, Tribute Archive, Online: https://www.tributearchive.com/funeral-homes/us/iowa/dubuque/egelhof-siegert-casper-funeral-home-and-crematory/fh-746820/1000<br /> <br /> <br /> [[Category: Educator]]</div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=WINDERS,_Jacqueline&diff=187755 2026-07-27T19:30:49Z

<p>Randylyon: Created page with &quot;WINDERS, Jacqueline. (Paris, France, Mar. 23, 1925--Dubuque, IA, July 4, 2026) Jacqueline Annie Winders&#039; father Paul Clerc (1876-1930) and mother Annie (Taylor) Clerc (1898-1968), of musical theater. Jackeye spent her teenage years in Nazi-occupied Paris. After passing her baccalaureate (B.A. equivalent) in 1942, she worked for the French Resistance as a secretary and a courrier. The liberation of Paris in August of 1944 brought many American soldiers to Paris, includi...&quot;</p> <hr /> <div>WINDERS, Jacqueline. (Paris, France, Mar. 23, 1925--Dubuque, IA, July 4, 2026) Jacqueline Annie Winders' father Paul Clerc (1876-1930) and mother Annie (Taylor) Clerc (1898-1968), of musical theater. Jackeye spent her teenage years in Nazi-occupied Paris. After passing her baccalaureate (B.A. equivalent) in 1942, she worked for the French Resistance as a secretary and a courrier.<br /> <br /> The liberation of Paris in August of 1944 brought many American soldiers to Paris, including Sergeant Eugene Winders. Gene and Jackeye fell in love and were married in the Église St.-Laurent in 1945. When Gene was discharged back home to Dubuque, Jackeye joined 400 other war brides on an Atlantic crossing that brought her to the land which she adopted for the next 80 years.<br /> <br /> Shortly after arriving in Dubuque, Jackeye began her teaching career with an after-school French beginners course at [[DUBUQUE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL]]. By 1956, she was on the staff of [[CLARKE COLLEGE]], now [[CLARKE UNIVERSITY]] where she taught for 31 years. At Clarke, she earned an MA degree and eventually became chairperson of the French department. During the summer, she led study tours to France with her students.<br /> <br /> Jackeye and Gene raised three delightful children—Richard (1948); Jeffrey (1955) and Dominique (1964) and had a busy social life entertaining both Clarke faculty and longtime Dubuque friends. After Jackeye retired in 1987, the couple not only kept a summer garden, but traveled throughout the US and Canada in a motor home and made trips to Europe. They spent their winters along the Gulf Coast outside Corpus Christi, TX. Jackeye also co-wrote a beginner’s French dictionary and translated letters by Bishop [[LORAS, Mathias|Mathias LORAS]].<br /> <br /> ---<br /> <br /> Source:<br /> <br /> Obituary, Tribute Archive, Online: https://www.tributearchive.com/funeral-homes/us/iowa/dubuque/egelhof-siegert-casper-funeral-home-and-crematory/fh-746820/1000<br /> <br /> <br /> [[Category: Educator]]</div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=KLAUER,_Donald&diff=187754 2026-07-27T19:11:15Z

<p>Randylyon: </p> <hr /> <div>[[Image:dklauer.png|left|thumb|250px|]]KLAUER, Donald. (Dubuque, IA, July 24, 1935--Dubuque, IA, July 7, 2026] Don's professional life began working at [[KLAUER OPTICAL COMPANY]] as a teenager before serving his country during a two-year enlistment in the United States Army. After returning home, he rejoined the family business and became the driving force behind Klauer Optical's transition in the early 1960s from a wholesale and retail operation to a fully retail business. Nationally, Don served as President of the Opticians Association of Iowa and the Opticians Association of America. He also served on the boards of the American Board of Opticianry, the National Academy of Opticians, the Contact Lens Society of America and the National Contact Lens Examiners Board.<br /> <br /> <br /> His commitment to service extended well beyond the optical industry. Locally, Don was active in the Jaycees, the Knights of Columbus, the Citizen Advisory Board, and many other organizations. He chaired a United Way fundraising campaign and served on the boards of [[FIRST NATIONAL BANK] OF DUBUQUE]], [[HOSPICE OF DUBUQUE]], and [[FINLEY HOSPITAL (THE)]]. HE served as president of [[DUBUQUE MAIN STREET, LTD.]], director of the [[DUBUQUE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE]], vice-president of the United Way of Dubuque (where he led a successful $1.2 million fund drive), and chairperson of the later defunct Dubuque Citizens Advisory Commission. As a member of the [[CHURCH OF THE RESURRECTION]], Klauer led a successful $1.2 million fund drive for a new church, rectory, and expansion of the school. He also served as president of the Resurrection School Board.<br /> <br /> <br /> [[Category: Civic Leader]]<br /> [[Category: Business Leader]]<br /> [[Category: Organization Leaders]]</div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=File:Dklauer.png&diff=187753 2026-07-27T19:09:57Z

<p>Randylyon: </p> <hr /> <div></div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=KLAUER,_Donald&diff=187752 2026-07-27T19:09:26Z

<p>Randylyon: </p> <hr /> <div>[[Image:dklauer|left|thumb|250px|]]KLAUER, Donald. (Dubuque, IA, July 24, 1935--Dubuque, IA, July 7, 2026] Don's professional life began working at [[KLAUER OPTICAL COMPANY]] as a teenager before serving his country during a two-year enlistment in the United States Army. After returning home, he rejoined the family business and became the driving force behind Klauer Optical's transition in the early 1960s from a wholesale and retail operation to a fully retail business. Nationally, Don served as President of the Opticians Association of Iowa and the Opticians Association of America. He also served on the boards of the American Board of Opticianry, the National Academy of Opticians, the Contact Lens Society of America and the National Contact Lens Examiners Board.<br /> <br /> <br /> His commitment to service extended well beyond the optical industry. Locally, Don was active in the Jaycees, the Knights of Columbus, the Citizen Advisory Board, and many other organizations. He chaired a United Way fundraising campaign and served on the boards of [[FIRST NATIONAL BANK] OF DUBUQUE]], [[HOSPICE OF DUBUQUE]], and [[FINLEY HOSPITAL (THE)]]. HE served as president of [[DUBUQUE MAIN STREET, LTD.]], director of the [[DUBUQUE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE]], vice-president of the United Way of Dubuque (where he led a successful $1.2 million fund drive), and chairperson of the later defunct Dubuque Citizens Advisory Commission. As a member of the [[CHURCH OF THE RESURRECTION]], Klauer led a successful $1.2 million fund drive for a new church, rectory, and expansion of the school. He also served as president of the Resurrection School Board.<br /> <br /> <br /> [[Category: Civic Leader]]<br /> [[Category: Business Leader]]<br /> [[Category: Organization Leaders]]</div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=KLAUER,_Donald&diff=187751 2026-07-27T19:09:13Z

<p>Randylyon: </p> <hr /> <div>[[Image:dklauer|left|thumb|250px|KLAUER, Donald. (Dubuque, IA, July 24, 1935--Dubuque, IA, July 7, 2026] Don's professional life began working at [[KLAUER OPTICAL COMPANY]] as a teenager before serving his country during a two-year enlistment in the United States Army. After returning home, he rejoined the family business and became the driving force behind Klauer Optical's transition in the early 1960s from a wholesale and retail operation to a fully retail business. Nationally, Don served as President of the Opticians Association of Iowa and the Opticians Association of America. He also served on the boards of the American Board of Opticianry, the National Academy of Opticians, the Contact Lens Society of America and the National Contact Lens Examiners Board.<br /> <br /> <br /> His commitment to service extended well beyond the optical industry. Locally, Don was active in the Jaycees, the Knights of Columbus, the Citizen Advisory Board, and many other organizations. He chaired a United Way fundraising campaign and served on the boards of [[FIRST NATIONAL BANK] OF DUBUQUE]], [[HOSPICE OF DUBUQUE]], and [[FINLEY HOSPITAL (THE)]]. HE served as president of [[DUBUQUE MAIN STREET, LTD.]], director of the [[DUBUQUE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE]], vice-president of the United Way of Dubuque (where he led a successful $1.2 million fund drive), and chairperson of the later defunct Dubuque Citizens Advisory Commission. As a member of the [[CHURCH OF THE RESURRECTION]], Klauer led a successful $1.2 million fund drive for a new church, rectory, and expansion of the school. He also served as president of the Resurrection School Board.<br /> <br /> <br /> [[Category: Civic Leader]]<br /> [[Category: Business Leader]]<br /> [[Category: Organization Leaders]]</div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=KLAUER,_Donald&diff=187750 2026-07-27T19:08:10Z

<p>Randylyon: </p> <hr /> <div>KLAUER, Donald. (Dubuque, IA, July 24, 1935--Dubuque, IA, July 7, 2026] Don's professional life began working at [[KLAUER OPTICAL COMPANY]] as a teenager before serving his country during a two-year enlistment in the United States Army. After returning home, he rejoined the family business and became the driving force behind Klauer Optical's transition in the early 1960s from a wholesale and retail operation to a fully retail business. Nationally, Don served as President of the Opticians Association of Iowa and the Opticians Association of America. He also served on the boards of the American Board of Opticianry, the National Academy of Opticians, the Contact Lens Society of America and the National Contact Lens Examiners Board.<br /> <br /> <br /> His commitment to service extended well beyond the optical industry. Locally, Don was active in the Jaycees, the Knights of Columbus, the Citizen Advisory Board, and many other organizations. He chaired a United Way fundraising campaign and served on the boards of [[FIRST NATIONAL BANK] OF DUBUQUE]], [[HOSPICE OF DUBUQUE]], and [[FINLEY HOSPITAL (THE)]]. HE served as president of [[DUBUQUE MAIN STREET, LTD.]], director of the [[DUBUQUE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE]], vice-president of the United Way of Dubuque (where he led a successful $1.2 million fund drive), and chairperson of the later defunct Dubuque Citizens Advisory Commission. As a member of the [[CHURCH OF THE RESURRECTION]], Klauer led a successful $1.2 million fund drive for a new church, rectory, and expansion of the school. He also served as president of the Resurrection School Board.<br /> <br /> <br /> [[Category: Civic Leader]]<br /> [[Category: Business Leader]]<br /> [[Category: Organization Leaders]]</div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=KLAUER,_Donald&diff=187749 2026-07-27T19:07:56Z

<p>Randylyon: </p> <hr /> <div>KLAUER, Donald. (Dubuque, IA, July 24, 1935--Dubuque, IA, July 7, 2026] Don's professional life began working at [[KLAUER OPTICAL COMPANY]] as a teenager before serving his country during a two-year enlistment in the United States Army. After returning home, he rejoined the family business and became the driving force behind Klauer Optical's transition in the early 1960s from a wholesale and retail operation to a fully retail business. Nationally, Don served as President of the Opticians Association of Iowa and the Opticians Association of America. He also served on the boards of the American Board of Opticianry, the National Academy of Opticians, the Contact Lens Society of America and the National Contact Lens Examiners Board.<br /> <br /> <br /> His commitment to service extended well beyond the optical industry. Locally, Don was active in the Jaycees, the Knights of Columbus, the Citizen Advisory Board, and many other organizations. He chaired a United Way fundraising campaign and served on the boards of [[FIRST NATIONAL BANK] OF DUBUQUE]], [[HOSPICE OF DUBUQUE]], and [[FINLEY HOSPITAL (THE). HE served as president of [[DUBUQUE MAIN STREET, LTD.]], director of the [[DUBUQUE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE]], vice-president of the United Way of Dubuque (where he led a successful $1.2 million fund drive), and chairperson of the later defunct Dubuque Citizens Advisory Commission. As a member of the [[CHURCH OF THE RESURRECTION]], Klauer led a successful $1.2 million fund drive for a new church, rectory, and expansion of the school. He also served as president of the Resurrection School Board.<br /> <br /> <br /> [[Category: Civic Leader]]<br /> [[Category: Business Leader]]<br /> [[Category: Organization Leaders]]</div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=KLAUER,_Donald&diff=187748 2026-07-27T19:07:40Z

<p>Randylyon: </p> <hr /> <div>KLAUER, Donald. (Dubuque, IA, July 24, 1935--Dubuque, IA, July 7, 2026] Don's professional life began working at [[KLAUER OPTICAL COMPANY]] as a teenager before serving his country during a two-year enlistment in the United States Army. After returning home, he rejoined the family business and became the driving force behind Klauer Optical's transition in the early 1960s from a wholesale and retail operation to a fully retail business. Nationally, Don served as President of the Opticians Association of Iowa and the Opticians Association of America. He also served on the boards of the American Board of Opticianry, the National Academy of Opticians, the Contact Lens Society of America and the National Contact Lens Examiners Board.<br /> <br /> <br /> His commitment to service extended well beyond the optical industry. Locally, Don was active in the Jaycees, the Knights of Columbus, the Citizen Advisory Board, and many other organizations. He chaired a United Way fundraising campaign and served on the boards of [[FIRST NATIONAL BANK] OF DUBUQUE], [[HOSPICE OF DUBUQUE]], and [[FINLEY HOSPITAL (THE). HE served as president of [[DUBUQUE MAIN STREET, LTD.]], director of the [[DUBUQUE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE]], vice-president of the United Way of Dubuque (where he led a successful $1.2 million fund drive), and chairperson of the later defunct Dubuque Citizens Advisory Commission. As a member of the [[CHURCH OF THE RESURRECTION]], Klauer led a successful $1.2 million fund drive for a new church, rectory, and expansion of the school. He also served as president of the Resurrection School Board.<br /> <br /> <br /> [[Category: Civic Leader]]<br /> [[Category: Business Leader]]<br /> [[Category: Organization Leaders]]</div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=KLAUER,_Donald&diff=187747 2026-07-27T19:07:19Z

<p>Randylyon: </p> <hr /> <div>KLAUER, Donald. (Dubuque, IA, July 24, 1935--Dubuque, IA, July 7, 2026] Don's professional life began working at [[KLAUER OPTICAL COMPANY]] as a teenager before serving his country during a two-year enlistment in the United States Army. After returning home, he rejoined the family business and became the driving force behind Klauer Optical's transition in the early 1960s from a wholesale and retail operation to a fully retail business. Nationally, Don served as President of the Opticians Association of Iowa and the Opticians Association of America. He also served on the boards of the American Board of Opticianry, the National Academy of Opticians, the Contact Lens Society of America and the National Contact Lens Examiners Board.<br /> <br /> <br /> His commitment to service extended well beyond the optical industry. Locally, Don was active in the Jaycees, the Knights of Columbus, the Citizen Advisory Board, and many other organizations. He chaired a United Way fundraising campaign and served on the boards of [[FIRST NATIONAL BANK]], [[HOSPICE OF DUBUQUE]], and [[FINLEY HOSPITAL (THE). HE served as president of [[DUBUQUE MAIN STREET, LTD.]], director of the [[DUBUQUE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE]], vice-president of the United Way of Dubuque (where he led a successful $1.2 million fund drive), and chairperson of the later defunct Dubuque Citizens Advisory Commission. As a member of the [[CHURCH OF THE RESURRECTION]], Klauer led a successful $1.2 million fund drive for a new church, rectory, and expansion of the school. He also served as president of the Resurrection School Board.<br /> <br /> <br /> [[Category: Civic Leader]]<br /> [[Category: Business Leader]]<br /> [[Category: Organization Leaders]]</div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=DUBUQUE_POLICE_DEPARTMENT&diff=187746 2026-07-26T20:13:27Z

<p>Randylyon: </p> <hr /> <div>[[Image:pps.jpeg|left|thumb|250px|Police patrol stable at 13th and Washington in 1900. Photo courtesy: Larry Friedman]] DUBUQUE POLICE DEPARTMENT. Philip Moreheiser was named Dubuque's first marshal and collector of fees and levies on April 1, 1837. By March 3,1841, with a city government and a charter, Dubuque city officials named B. F. Davis the marshal. Troublemakers were jailed on the grounds of the present day [[WASHINGTON PARK]]. (1)<br /> <br /> City marshals aided by a group of city watchmen and concerned citizens were often replaced by new city officials. In 1856 [[KIENE, Peter|Peter KIENE]] was chosen marshal, but two years later E. R. Shankland occupied the office located in the [[DUBUQUE CITY HALL]]. Philip Moreheiser returned to the force as first captain. The city was subdivided into three police districts; each was supervised by a sergeant. (2)<br /> <br /> This organized police force lasted until it was disbanded by the city council in 1859. This was followed by an increase in all manner of crimes in Dubuque — fires,burglaries, pickpockets. During three months in the spring of 1859 there were stolen in Dubuque alone twenty-five cows. (3) Between then and 1861 Thomas Fleming was a marshal in name only. The marshal recommended an ordinance establishing a chain gang and his advice was accepted. Philip Moreheiser founded a short-lived independent police group called Moreheiser and Company that served only those who could afford their services. (4) <br /> <br /> For years, there was a period of rapid changeover in the marshal’s office: Jacob Swivell (1861), C. G. Hargus (1863), and Allen Leathers (1865). Philip Moreheiser returned to duty in 1867 when the City Council designated the city prison to be the east end of the basement in the Dubuque City Hall. In 1870 Edward Hardee was appointed marshal. In 1873, in addition to Hardee as marshal, Michael Sutton was named Chief of Police. The uniform to be worn by members of the police department was the subject of an ordinance passed on February 6, 1873. Specified tailors were selected in the community to make uniforms that the officers had to purchase. (5) [[KINTZINGER, John|John KINTZINGER]] was appointed marshal in 1874 while Patrick Ryder became captain of the day police. Kintzinger was replaced by George W. Finn in 1875. Henry Deckert was appointed marshal in 1877 when the police department was moved to the second floor of a building on the northeast corner of Main and Fourth Streets. Deckert remained in office until 1881, the year the police headquarters were transferred to the Dubuque City Hall. Kintzinger, the former marshal, was appointed police captain. F. J. Zugenbuehler, appointed marshal in 1884, was replaced by Edward Moore in 1886 who was replaced in 1888 by [[RAESLE, John|John RAESLE]]. In 1888 the City of Dubuque purchased a horse-drawn police wagon that operated out of the Old Central Fire Station at Ninth and Iowa Streets. (6)<br /> <br /> In May 1891 the committee on police protection recommended a telephone alarm system to the city council. Telephones would be placed in enclosures located at street corners in various parts of the city where no police officers were assigned. These telephones would connect to the police headquarters. In March, 1892 the Police Telephone and Signal Company made a proposal to the city council for establishing ten street stations in the city. (7)<br /> <br /> Mayor [[SAUNDERS, Charles J. W.|Charles J. W. SAUNDERS]] recommended to the city council in January 1892 that detectives should be hired by the city. In response to complaints about instances of drunkenness among some police officers, he suggested the detectives watch the actions of the patrol officers as well as protect the public. In April it was expected that approximately a half dozen patrolmen would &quot;drop through the mayor's sieve into private life.&quot; (8)<br /> <br /> Many changes occurred during the term of Mayor Olinger with at least a half dozen patrolmen being relieved of duty. On June 1, 1894 Captain Ryan with twenty years of experience and an excellent record was replaced without explanation by Patrolman Murphy. (9)<br /> <br /> [[Image:imp217.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Thomas Reilly became Dubuque's chief of police in 1904, the year the office of city marshal was abolished. Photo courtesy. Mike Reilly]]Samuel B. Rice served as marshal from 1890 to 1894 when he too was replaced. The police patrol station was moved in 1894 to the northeast corner of Thirteenth and Washington Streets. During this time, female and juvenile detention facilities were added to the jail. <br /> <br /> In November 1895 the civil council met with fifteen ladies representing the churches in Dubuque. They submitted a petition asking for the appointment of a police matron and for quarters to be provided for all women arrested and charged with minor offenses. The proposal was met with little interest and it was suggested the women contact the county supervisors. The idea was finally accepted by January 1896 when Dubuque's first police matron, Miss Bridget Brennan, had her first case dealing with a starving and homeless mother and child. (10)<br /> <br /> Dissatisfaction with the police department in 1896 led merchants and manufacturers in November to begin organizing a merchant's police force. A former policeman, Michael O'Connell, commonly known as &quot;Powderly,&quot; was hired and it was expected that men of &quot;known detective ability will be added as occasion and the demand for effective police protection arises.&quot; The charge was made that instead of focusing on &quot;tough characters&quot; the police were &quot;arresting a few comparatively harmless chippies while nearly fifty burglaries had occurred within six months.&quot; The new &quot;police&quot; were to begin their duty in December. (11) When it appeared that the ''Telegraph'' and ''Times'' had begun to agree there was a problem with the department, the ''Dubuque Daily Herald'' called for a formal investigation in an article on December 3, 1896.<br /> <br /> [[Image:1905.jpg|right|thumb|200px|In 1905 the entire Dubuque police force posed in this Adams-Farwell three-seater.]]<br /> The office of City Marshall was abolished in 1904 when Thomas Reilly became the chief of police. The same year the position of police detective was created. The city's first two detectives were John Raesle and Thomas Sweeney. <br /> <br /> [[File:ball1.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Program for the first annual Policemen's Ball (1901)]]<br /> [[File:ball2.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Dance card for the ball.]]<br /> [[File:ball3.jpg|200px|thumb|left|]]Civil service, first applied to the department in 1907, did not affect the position of Chief of Police. James R. Pickley was appointed police chief in 1907 but was replaced by a new [[MAYOR]] in 1911 when Reilly returned to his former position. Reilly was succeeded in 1913 by John Raesle. <br /> <br /> The first Chief with a long term of duty was John Giellis who held the position from 1915 until his retirement in 1939. A former employee of the Knapp-Stout bucket factory in Dubuque and then the [[STANDARD LUMBER COMPANY]], Giellis left the lumber business in 1911. At the request of Sheriff Jim Dunn, he became a deputy sheriff and court bailiff. When [[SAUL, James|James SAUL]] became mayor in 1914, one of this first acts was to appoint John Giellis to the office of chief of police. <br /> <br /> Giellis immediately began reorganizing the department. In 1914 the department inherited by Giellis had forty-three men. Those on the night shift worked thirteen hours while those employed during the day worked eleven. There were no automobiles or motorcycles--just one horse-drawn patrol wagon. The officers had no police telegraph alarm system, machine guns, tear gas, sawed-off shotguns or riot guns. The Gamewell Police Telegraph, a system of eighteen call boxes placed throughout the patrol districts, was added in 1921. Foot patrols were called to the box by a red light and a ringing bell. The system served the city well in the 1960s. During the 1920s all police department vehicles, consisting of one motorcycle, two cars, and the [[BLACK MARIA]], a paddy wagon were motorized. The &quot;Black Maria&quot; was the firsr motor vehicle purchased by the police department after the horse-drawn vehicle became obsolete. In 1923 the vehicle was converted into a truck and used by the city electrician. (12) The rise of the violent gangsters in the late 1920s led Chief Geillis in 1932 to purchase the first of several machine guns. Dubuque City Hall employees were startled one afternoon in 1932 when the new firearms were tested on the third floor pistol range. (13)<br /> <br /> The rank of police officers at this time could be determined by the uniform. Sergeants, captains, and the police chief kept their weapons hidden while officers wore their firearms outside their coats. The former group indicated their rank by the number of stars on their collars. By 1933 the department had thirty-nine personnel, two motorcycles, a fleet of squad cars and, according to the ''Telegraph Herald'' at the time, all the latest weapons needed to combat criminals. Giellis served from 1914 to 1920 and was appointed chief under the city manager form of government when it was begun in 1920.<br /> <br /> Prior to [[PARKING METERS]], one and two-hour parking limits were in effect in an area comprising twenty-four square blocks. One-hour parking was in effect on the north-south streets from Bluff to Central Avenue and along Eighth Avenue between these streets. The two-hour parking limit was applied to east-west streets beginning on Fourth and ending on 12th. (14) <br /> <br /> The confusion this held for Dubuque residents was nothing compared to that felt by those from outside the city and unaware of the laws. In 1930 the Chamber of Commerce requested that out-of town visitors be issued &quot;courtesy cards&quot; by the police instead of tickets. These cards read:<br /> <br /> Notice! This is a courtesy card from the Dubuque police department and<br /> the citizens of Dubuque.<br /> <br /> We are pleased to welcome you to our city. We hope you will come often.<br /> Don't worry about the poicemen, as they will treat you with courtesy and<br /> will be glad to advise and assist you in every way to make your visit<br /> pleasant.<br /> <br /> You are not expected to observe the one-hour parking rules.<br /> <br /> Road information may be had at out automobile club on the corner of<br /> Ninth and Loust [[STREETS]]. Telephone 2374.<br /> <br /> Signed: John W. Giellis, chief of police (15)<br /> <br /> <br /> Upon the retirement of Chief Giellis on January 1, 1939, Detective Joseph H. Strub was appointed Chief of Police. During his term, the first police radio car was used by the force to improve communication between the department and officers in the field. The bulky equipment making communication possible was carried in the trunk to save room. Cells in the [[DUBUQUE CITY HALL]] were refurbished. Prior to its being carried by the [[FIRE DEPARTMENT]], a lung machine, an early resuscitator introduced in 1940, was carried to scenes were needed by the police. <br /> <br /> The announcement was made in February 1950 that Dubuque would be one of four or five Iowa cities to try out part of a plan for more uniform traffic law enforcement. Beginning on April 1, the police department would begin using a new form of traffic ticket. Other parts of the plan would be presented to the Iowa legislature by Dubuque Traffic Officer W. J. Andresen, chairman of a three-person committee appointed by the Iowa Association of Chiefs of Police and Peace Officers. (16)<br /> <br /> The department announced in August, 1952 the first use of an Electronic Speed Meter to determine how fast cars were traveling along Dubuque streets. The device emitted a microwave signal that was reflected from a moving car back to the machine. The difference in frequency was indicated on a meter calibrated in miles per hour. The speed was permanently recorded by pen and ink on recorded graph paper. The three parts of the machine weighed 45 pounds. If used in a 'speed trap' the observer would radio to another police car to intercept the speeder. According to Chief of Police Hugh B. Callahan it would not be used in this way in Dubuque. Signs warning drivers that &quot;Dubuque Streets Radar Speed Controlled&quot; were placed in twenty locations within the city. (17) <br /> <br /> Strub retired on February 1, 1952, and was replaced by Hugh B. Callahan who remained in the position until March 1, 1960. Thirty-year veteran Captain [[LUCAS, Percy|Percy LUCAS]] was appointed chief. (18) Lucas was a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Academy in 1945. It was not until 1963 that another officer from Dubuque was chosen for the rigorous course. Captain Byrne A. O'Brien, a police captain qualified by passing competitive examinations. (19)<br /> <br /> [[File:badge2.png|200px|thumb|left|]]<br /> [[File:badge3.png|200px|thumb|left|]]<br /> [[File:badge4.png|200px|thumb|left|]]<br /> [[File:badge5.png|200px|thumb|left|]]<br /> [[File:badge6.png|200px|thumb|left|]]<br /> <br /> In 1962 Police Chief [[LUCAS, Percy|Percy LUCAS]] announced a realignment of staff to improve traffic enforcement and criminal investigation. Included was an immediate creation of a detective bureau and preparation for the formation of a juvenile division that would eventually come under the detective bureau. (20) In 1967 [[O'BRIEN, Robert|Robert O'BRIEN]] was appointed to the newly created position of assistant chief. Lucas remained in office until September 1, 1970, when he retired and was succeeded O'Brien. (21)<br /> <br /> In 1978 the mysterious deaths of two police officers' children led to an investigation of the safety of using hand-held radar guns. The Iowa Occupational Safety and Health division of the Bureau of Labor measured the microwave radiation of the guns and found that the output would need to be increased five-times before being considered unsafe. Use of the department's five guns had been suspended until the safety report had been issued. (22)<br /> <br /> In 1986 police were given the opportunity to be equipped with the Nova XR5000 electronic control device, better known as stun guns. Powered by a nine-volt radio battery, the $80.00 gun produced 50,000 volts, but only 4 milli-amps of current. Each officer to use the weapon had eight hours of training and was instructed to closely follow a policy manual. The police department left its offices in the Dubuque City Hall in December 1974, for new headquarters in the Law Enforcement Center at 770 Iowa Street with state-of-the-art communications and investigative tools. <br /> <br /> In March of 1992 a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Dubuque police and the N.A.A.C.P. after almost two years of discussions. Designed to encourage racial understanding between the police and minorities it provided a panel to hear complaints after police harassment or discrimination.<br /> <br /> The principal provision was establishment of the Community Advisory Panel of nine members who served two-year terms. The membership included one city government representative chosen by the city manager, one police representative chosen by the police chief, three adult citizens of Dubuque chosen by the city manager, one member of the Dubuque Human Rights Commission chosen by the commission, two adults from Dubuque's minority community chosen by the city manager from a list supplied by the N.A.A.C.P., and one police officer chosen by the Police Protective Association. The Memorandum of Understanding called for a written plan establishing hiring procedures that would identify and prevent hiring of candidates holding prejudices. The selection process could include psychological testing and a background check. All new officers would receive racial and cultural sensitivity training no later than two years after being hired. Continued education on racial/cultural sensitivity would be required of all officers. (23)<br /> <br /> Robert O'Brien retired late in December 1984, ending a career of fourteen years as chief of police. On May 28, 1985, [[MAUSS, John J.|John J. MAUSS]], an eighteen and one-half year veteran of the department, was sworn in as the new police chief. One of the new chief's priorities was to seek accreditation for the department. This indicated that it conformed with standards established by top law enforcement departments in the nation. (24)<br /> <br /> In early February 1993 it was announced that Eldon Pfohl, a former Dubuque councilman, had donated $10,000 to the city of Dubuque for video cameras in Dubuque police cars. He was depending on the media to solicit the remaining $50,000. Chief of Police John J. Mauss reported that mounted cameras were being used in Iowa State Patrol cars and in other law enforcement vehicles across the state. It was estimated that it would cost between $4,000 and $4,500 to equip each local vehicle. (25) The camera were field tested in July 1993. Pfohl, who said he was called a racist for his donation, believed the cameras would help officers dispute such claims. In September 1993 the city council approved spending $11,070 to purchase cameras for three patrol cars. (26)<br /> <br /> In March 1993, efforts established a Memorandum of Understanding between the police department and the [[NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF COLORED PEOPLE (N.A.A.C.P.)]] in response of accusations of racism. (27) Leaders of [[CURE]] and the [[CENTER FOR PUBLIC MINISTRY]] supported the agreement, but said they would carefully monitor the Dubuque Community Advisory Panel (later called the Dubuque Community-Police Relations Committee). (28) This group heard complaints about police misconduct regarding civil rights or discrimination. Although the nine-member panel including city, police, and minority members, could not force action, it made recommendations for changes to city and police operations and procedures. (29)<br /> <br /> The community policing philosophy was begun by the department in 1994. A foot patrol was started in the downtown area by three officers. In 1995 the department's community-based policing expanded to include bicycle riding police officers. They performed the same duties as police riding in automobiles except transporting prisoners to jail. (30) The program was expanded in 1998 into several areas bordering the downtown area: East 14th north to East 25th, Central Avenue east to Elm, and 5-Points east to Windsor. Two teams of two officers were formed with one team remaining in the downtown area and the other taking the new sites. (31)<br /> <br /> The department learned in August, 1993 that it had been accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. The designation indicated that the department was operating under consistent standards. Dubuque became the fourth law enforcement agency in Iowa to be accredited with Cedar Falls and Oelwein police departments and the Polk County Sheriff's Department being the others. (32)<br /> <br /> Specialty units were developed. In 1996 a Tactical Entry Team consisting of an assault/entry team, marksman-observer team, and crisis negotiators wasa created to handle hostage rescue, barricaded subjects, VIP protection, and executing high risk warrants. The department created a Mobile Field Force in 2010 to handle crowd or riot control incidents. (33)<br /> <br /> In response to break-ins and other criminal activity in 2010, the department worked closely with citizens to establish the Nextdoor program in Dubuque neighborhoods. An upgrade of the previous Neighborhood Watch program, Nextdoor encouraged neighbors to watch each others' homes and to report suspicious activity quickly to the police. Officials of the department were also available to present programs to civic organizations.<br /> <br /> In 2000 Mauss retired and was succeeded by Kim Wadding who remained until his retirement on June 30, 2009. Assistant Chief Terry Lambert retired in April, 2002 after a career of thirty-seven years. Mark Dalsing, a twenty-year veteran was sworn in as the new chief of police on February 1, 2010.<br /> <br /> Between 2008 and 2012 the department implemented a five-year, fifteen officer expansion plan that increased the department from 94 to 109 officers. This allowed the creation of additional patrol territory and a decrease in the size the the existing territories. (34)<br /> <br /> In 2011 the fifteenth session of the Citizen's Police Academy was offered to residents of the city. The purpose of the program was to build better understanding between citizens and the police through education. Classroom time involved presentations regarding arrest procedures, search and seizure, use of force, laws and policies, police procedures, domestic abuse cases, sexual abuse cases, drug enforcement, OWIs, officer safety and prevention programs. Requirements for participation in the program included the applicant be a resident of the city, be at least 18 years of age, and have no felony convictions or significant arrest history. The classes involved twelve three hour sessions. There was also a mandatory ride-along with a patrol officer and an optional firearms sessions. (35)<br /> <br /> In 2015 it was announced that the department intended to purchase 120 body-worn cameras by the end of 2017. The city had received a federal grant in excess of $61,000 to help the department outfit of its officers. (36) At about the same time, the department used a grant to purchase diving equipment to serve a new team--a police department diving team useful in recovering evidence underwater.<br /> <br /> A virtual arms simulator purchased by the Dubuque County Sheriff's Department in partnership with Northeast Iowa Community College was demonstrated at the Midwest Gang Investigators Association conference in Dubuque on May 16, 2016. Five projection screens capable of playing 150 gun-related scenarios simulated confrontations with active shooters, domestic standoffs, and drive-by shootings. Officers in the simulator were fitted with clip-on packs that delivered shocks indicating where they were &quot;shot&quot; or &quot;injured.&quot; (37) It was suggested that large police departments could use the simulator for a fee. (38)<br /> <br /> The Dubuque Police Department in June, 2016 asked the public's help in developing a policy to govern the use of police body cameras. In 2015 the department received a $61,000 federal grant and donations to outfit all city police officers with body cameras over a two-year period. The city was required to match the grant. As part of the program, department officials developed an internal policy to guide officers on the use, retention and release of body camera footage. (39) In December, 2016 it was announced that police officers would be wearing the devices by the end of the year. (40)<br /> <br /> With the donation of $80,000, the police department in 2017 was able to add another K-9 to its force. The campaign was led by Jeff Mozena, president of [[PREMIER BANK]]. Mozena and other community leaders met with police officials to ask for needs of the department. The funds were raised in about one month. The donations covered the costs of buying the dog, training the dog and instructing a police officer in its use, and a specially equipped squad car for the pair. The force then had two K-9s for multipurpose use. A third dog was dedicated to bomb-sniffing and was not regularly on patrol. (41)<br /> <br /> In June 2018, the Dubuque Police Department began offering emotional intelligence training for its officers to make them more aware of their emotions, thoughts, feeling and beliefs during crisis situations. While this has been preceded by de-escalation and cultural competency trainings, but this is a first for the department. During the three day training, officers are focus on empathy, communicating with others, relationship management, and coping with anger. The program is led by the Personal Empowerment staff of the [[UNIVERSITY OF DUBUQUE]]. Plans were underway to provide the training to all officers. (42)<br /> <br /> By 2018 the department had nine members, one of whom was a member of the [[FIRE DEPARTMENT]], on its diving team. The formation of the team had been a goal of Lt. Dave Haupert and Police Chief Mark Dalsing since 2015. The location of the city near the Mississippi River as well as lakes and ponds increased the importance of having officers trained in the recovery of material from water. New team members attended certification classes in Madison, Wisconsin. Experiences there included classroom time, training in a swimming pool, and experience on open-water. Future plans called to training in administering first aid and diving in ice-covered water. (43)<br /> <br /> A new command position was added to the force in 208 to supervise special operations teams. In 2019 another officer position was created beginning a three-year process to add three police officers to strengthen the School Resource Officer (SRO) program with the [[DUBUQUE COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT]]. This would result in the number of SROs to eight (each high school and middle school would have their own and two would provide service to the elementary schools) These hirings would bring the force to 113 officers. (44)<br /> <br /> The city reported in 2020 that the city's camera system was part of the traffic signal control system but also used daily by the police department. The network of cameras grew to 1,225 cameras spread over 250 locations. The fiscal year 2021 budget recommended two new positions. (45)<br /> <br /> The City of Dubuque in May, 2021 reached a $1.8 million settlement with a former female police captain who sued the city and Police Chief Mark Dalsing in 2019 on the grounds of gender discrimination, harassment and retaliation. Abby Simon’s lawsuit claimed that in 2016 and in 2017, she was passed over for a promotion to captain despite receiving better test and interview scores than the two men who received the promotions. In addition to discrimination against her, the lawsuit alleged there was a broad issue with sexism and discrimination in the department. The lawsuit sought an unspecified judgment that would “fully and fairly compensate (Simon) for her injuries and damages” and any other relief deemed appropriate. (46)<br /> <br /> Simon was promoted to captain in 2018 after filing a complaint, but said she faced hostility from fellow officers and Chief Mark Dalsing. That Dalsing sent an email to colleagues stating that the department was &quot;forced&quot; to create a new captain's position for Simon after she complained of discrimination, the lawsuit said. Simon said City Manager [[VAN MILLIGEN, Michael|Michael VAN MILLIGEN]] asked her &quot;whether she had thought about the long-term consequences if she sued the city.&quot; When she retired in January 2020, Simon was the highest-ranking woman in the department. She cited her reason for retiring was City Council members' refusal to hold Dalsing and Van Milligen accountable. (47)<br /> <br /> In February, 2023 the city council approved a plan to expand the city's ability to help people in crisis. The program followed a secondary responder model of law enforcement. This approach focused on bringing resources to those in need by sending a second trained responder after first responders identified a need. Second responders reduced the time first responders were needed while connecting those with mental health issues, substance abuse, or homelessness with resource providers. The critical incident team included ten members. (48)<br /> <br /> On March 3, 2022 Dubuque city council members voted unanimously to appoint Jeremy Jensen as the new chief of the Dubuque Police Department. Police chief Mark Dalsing retired last year.<br /> <br /> Jensen served in the Dubuque Police Department for almost 30 years. He served as assistant chief since 2018 and as interim police chief after Dalsing’s retirement. Jensen said there were two main areas he wante the department to maintain or improve under his leadership. One item was to develop even more community partnerships. The second was making sure of officer’s wellness. Jensen was one of four finalists for the position and the only one from Dubuque. (49)<br /> <br /> On Monday, July 20, 2026 he city of Dubuque officially swore in its new police chief. The council promoted Assistant Chief Joe Messerich to take over the department in May. Messerich has worked in Dubuque for 25 years. (50)<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> See: [[INTEGRATION]]<br /> <br /> See: [[AFRICAN AMERICANS]]<br /> <br /> See: [[GANGS]]<br /> <br /> See: [[MOTORCYCLE POLICE]]<br /> <br /> <br /> ---<br /> <br /> Source:<br /> <br /> 1. Sedwick, Elizabeth A. '''The Police Department of Dubuque, Iowa'''. Dubuque: Scott Printing &amp; Design, 2012, p. i<br /> <br /> 2. Ibid.<br /> <br /> 3. Oldt, Franklin T. '''History of Dubuque County, Iowa'''. http://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/franklin-t-oldt/history-of-dubuque-county-iowa-being-a-general-survey-of-dubuque-county-histor-tdl/page-13-history-of-dubuque-county-iowa-being-a-general-survey-of-dubuque-county-histor-tdl.shtml<br /> <br /> 4. Ibid. p. 17<br /> <br /> 5. &quot;Looking for Bids,&quot; ''Dubuque Herald'', February 12, 1873, p. 4. Online: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=uh8FjILnQOkC&amp;dat=18730212&amp;printsec=frontpage&amp;hl=en<br /> <br /> 6. Sedwick, p. ii<br /> <br /> 7. &quot;Fire and Patrol Alarms,&quot; ''Dubuque Daily Herald'', April 1, 1892, p. 4. Online: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=_OG5zn83XeQC&amp;dat=18920401&amp;printsec=frontpage&amp;hl=en<br /> <br /> 8. &quot;The Mayor's Sieve,&quot; ''Dubuque Daily Herald'', April 15, 1892, p. 4. Online: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=_OG5zn83XeQC&amp;dat=18920415&amp;printsec=frontpage&amp;hl=en<br /> <br /> 9. &quot;Police Captain Murphy,&quot; ''Dubuque Daily Herald'', June 2, 1894, p. 4<br /> <br /> 10. &quot;A Police Matron,&quot; ''Dubuque Daily Herald'', November 8, 1895, p. 8<br /> <br /> 11. &quot;The First Case,&quot; ''Dubuque Daily Herald,'' January 12, 1896, p. 4<br /> <br /> 12. &quot;Old 'Black Maria' Now a City Truck,&quot; ''Dubuque Telegraph-Herald,'' June 11, 1923, p. 5<br /> <br /> 13. Sedwick, p. iii<br /> <br /> 14. Tyson, H. G. &quot;Parking Rules Are Defended,&quot; ''Telegraph-Herald'', April 14, 1946, p. 17<br /> <br /> 15. &quot;Cops Distribute Courtesy Cards,&quot; ''Telegraph-Herald,'' June 25, 1930, p. 3<br /> <br /> 16. &quot;Traffic Ticket to be Changed,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', February 5, 1950, p. 17<br /> <br /> 17. &quot;Radar to Clock Cars in City 'Speed Zones,'&quot; Telegraph-Herald, August 3, 1952, p. 17<br /> <br /> 18. &quot;Cops Distribute... p.ii<br /> <br /> 19. &quot;O'Brien Chosen for FBI Academy,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', July 20, 1964, p. 1<br /> <br /> 20. Payton, John. &quot;Dubuque Police Form Detective Unit,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', March 29, 1962 p. 10<br /> <br /> 21. Sedwick, p. ii<br /> <br /> 22. Kircher, Steve, &quot;Police Radar Guns Declared Safe; Association Satisfied,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', September 27, 1978, p. 1<br /> <br /> 23. Hanson, Lynn, &quot;Process Solidifies Understanding,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', March 13, 1992, p. 2<br /> <br /> 24. Wicked''Italic text''<br /> <br /> 25. Webber, Steve. &quot;Pfohl Gives City $10,000,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', February 1, 1993, p. 3A<br /> <br /> 26. Bagsarian, Tom. &quot;Patrolcam,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', July 24, 1993, p. 3A<br /> <br /> 27. Krapfl, Mike. &quot;Harmony Challenge: Break the Silence,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', February 11, 1993, p. 1<br /> <br /> 28. Hanson, Lyn. &quot;Police, NAACP Reach Accord,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', March 12, 1993, p. 3A<br /> <br /> 29. Basarian, Tom. &quot;Mixed Reviews for NAACP, Police Memorandum,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', March 16, 1993, 3A<br /> <br /> 30. Sweeney, Kathleen. &quot;Bike Police Gain More Authority,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', April 18, 1997, p. 3A. Online: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=aEyKTaVlRPYC&amp;dat=19970418&amp;printsec=frontpage&amp;hl=en<br /> <br /> 31. Reber, Craig. &quot;Bicycle Police Expand Patrol,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', February 27, 1998, p. 1. Online: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=aEyKTaVlRPYC&amp;dat=19980227&amp;printsec=frontpage&amp;hl=en<br /> <br /> 32. &quot;Agency Accredits Dubuque Police,&quot; Telegraph Herald, August 2, 1993, p. 3A<br /> <br /> 33. Sedwick, p. iv<br /> <br /> 34. &quot;Police Staffing Expansion,&quot; '''City Focus''', The City of Dubuque, Spring 2020, p. 5<br /> <br /> 35. &quot;Citizens' Academy Offered,&quot; '''Julien's Journal''', January 2011, p. 6<br /> <br /> 36. &quot;2015: A By-The-Numbers Review of the Year in the Tri-States,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', January 3, 2016, p. 2<br /> <br /> 37. Yager, Alicia. &quot;Bullet Item,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', May 17, 2016, p. 1<br /> <br /> 38. Ibid., p. 3A<br /> <br /> 39. &quot;Public Opinion Sought on Police Body Cameras in Dubuque,&quot; SFGate, June 5, 2016, Online: http://www.sfgate.com/news/crime/article/Public-opinion-sought-on-police-body-cameras-in-7964433.php<br /> <br /> 40. Yager, Alicia. &quot;Police Body Camera Almost Set to Roll,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', December 19, 2016, p. 1<br /> <br /> 41. Yager, Alicia. &quot;Thanks to $80,000 in Donations, Dubuque Police Add Another K-9,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', August 7, 2017, p. 1A<br /> <br /> 42. Descorbeth, Shirley, &quot;Dubuque Officers Take Emotional Intelligence Training,&quot; KWWL.com. June 6, 2018, Online: http://www.kwwl.com/story/38366646/2018/6/6/dubuque-officers-take-emotional-intelligence-training<br /> <br /> 43. Yager, Alicia, &quot;Dubuque Officers Become Immersed in Training,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', August 9, 2018, p. 1A<br /> <br /> 44. &quot;Police Staffing Expansion,&quot; '''City Focus''', p. 4<br /> <br /> 45. Ibid. p. 4<br /> <br /> 46. Hogstrom, Erik, &quot;Dubuque Reaches $1.8 Million Settlement with Former Police Captain Over Discrimination Claims,&quot; TH Online. https://www.telegraphherald.com/news/tri-state/article_e1d5223f-7756-5040-9c3b-ff246909bd60.html <br /> <br /> 47. Associated Press, &quot;Dubuque Agrees to Pay $1.8 Million to Settle Gender Discrimination Lawsuit Against Dubuque Police Department,&quot; Online. https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/crime-and-courts/2021/05/18/dubuque-iowa-settles-police-department-gender-discrimination-lawsuit/5150089001/<br /> <br /> 48. &quot;Secondary Responder Plan Gains Momentum,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', August 6, 2023, p. 8A<br /> <br /> 49. Garcia-Franceschini, Fernando, &quot;Dubuque City Council Appoints Jeremy Jensen as New Police Chief, KCRG Online: https://www.kcrg.com/2022/03/04/dubuque-city-council-appoints-jeremy-jensen-new-police-chief/<br /> <br /> 50. &quot;Dubuque Swears in New Police Chief at City Council Meeting,&quot; KCGR Online, July 20, 2026, https://share.google/IBLxHQto6Ajv8gPGx<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> [[Category: Law Enforcement]]<br /> [[Category: City Government]]</div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=DUBUQUE_POLICE_DEPARTMENT&diff=187745 2026-07-26T20:02:29Z

<p>Randylyon: </p> <hr /> <div>[[Image:pps.jpeg|left|thumb|250px|Police patrol stable at 13th and Washington in 1900. Photo courtesy: Larry Friedman]] DUBUQUE POLICE DEPARTMENT. Philip Moreheiser was named Dubuque's first marshal and collector of fees and levies on April 1, 1837. By March 3,1841, with a city government and a charter, Dubuque city officials named B. F. Davis the marshal. Troublemakers were jailed on the grounds of the present day [[WASHINGTON PARK]]. (1)<br /> <br /> City marshals aided by a group of city watchmen and concerned citizens were often replaced by new city officials. In 1856 [[KIENE, Peter|Peter KIENE]] was chosen marshal, but two years later E. R. Shankland occupied the office located in the [[DUBUQUE CITY HALL]]. Philip Moreheiser returned to the force as first captain. The city was subdivided into three police districts; each was supervised by a sergeant. (2)<br /> <br /> This organized police force lasted until it was disbanded by the city council in 1859. This was followed by an increase in all manner of crimes in Dubuque — fires,burglaries, pickpockets. During three months in the spring of 1859 there were stolen in Dubuque alone twenty-five cows. (3) Between then and 1861 Thomas Fleming was a marshal in name only. The marshal recommended an ordinance establishing a chain gang and his advice was accepted. Philip Moreheiser founded a short-lived independent police group called Moreheiser and Company that served only those who could afford their services. (4) <br /> <br /> For years, there was a period of rapid changeover in the marshal’s office: Jacob Swivell (1861), C. G. Hargus (1863), and Allen Leathers (1865). Philip Moreheiser returned to duty in 1867 when the City Council designated the city prison to be the east end of the basement in the Dubuque City Hall. In 1870 Edward Hardee was appointed marshal. In 1873, in addition to Hardee as marshal, Michael Sutton was named Chief of Police. The uniform to be worn by members of the police department was the subject of an ordinance passed on February 6, 1873. Specified tailors were selected in the community to make uniforms that the officers had to purchase. (5) [[KINTZINGER, John|John KINTZINGER]] was appointed marshal in 1874 while Patrick Ryder became captain of the day police. Kintzinger was replaced by George W. Finn in 1875. Henry Deckert was appointed marshal in 1877 when the police department was moved to the second floor of a building on the northeast corner of Main and Fourth Streets. Deckert remained in office until 1881, the year the police headquarters were transferred to the Dubuque City Hall. Kintzinger, the former marshal, was appointed police captain. F. J. Zugenbuehler, appointed marshal in 1884, was replaced by Edward Moore in 1886 who was replaced in 1888 by [[RAESLE, John|John RAESLE]]. In 1888 the City of Dubuque purchased a horse-drawn police wagon that operated out of the Old Central Fire Station at Ninth and Iowa Streets. (6)<br /> <br /> In May 1891 the committee on police protection recommended a telephone alarm system to the city council. Telephones would be placed in enclosures located at street corners in various parts of the city where no police officers were assigned. These telephones would connect to the police headquarters. In March, 1892 the Police Telephone and Signal Company made a proposal to the city council for establishing ten street stations in the city. (7)<br /> <br /> Mayor [[SAUNDERS, Charles J. W.|Charles J. W. SAUNDERS]] recommended to the city council in January 1892 that detectives should be hired by the city. In response to complaints about instances of drunkenness among some police officers, he suggested the detectives watch the actions of the patrol officers as well as protect the public. In April it was expected that approximately a half dozen patrolmen would &quot;drop through the mayor's sieve into private life.&quot; (8)<br /> <br /> Many changes occurred during the term of Mayor Olinger with at least a half dozen patrolmen being relieved of duty. On June 1, 1894 Captain Ryan with twenty years of experience and an excellent record was replaced without explanation by Patrolman Murphy. (9)<br /> <br /> [[Image:imp217.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Thomas Reilly became Dubuque's chief of police in 1904, the year the office of city marshal was abolished. Photo courtesy. Mike Reilly]]Samuel B. Rice served as marshal from 1890 to 1894 when he too was replaced. The police patrol station was moved in 1894 to the northeast corner of Thirteenth and Washington Streets. During this time, female and juvenile detention facilities were added to the jail. <br /> <br /> In November 1895 the civil council met with fifteen ladies representing the churches in Dubuque. They submitted a petition asking for the appointment of a police matron and for quarters to be provided for all women arrested and charged with minor offenses. The proposal was met with little interest and it was suggested the women contact the county supervisors. The idea was finally accepted by January 1896 when Dubuque's first police matron, Miss Bridget Brennan, had her first case dealing with a starving and homeless mother and child. (10)<br /> <br /> Dissatisfaction with the police department in 1896 led merchants and manufacturers in November to begin organizing a merchant's police force. A former policeman, Michael O'Connell, commonly known as &quot;Powderly,&quot; was hired and it was expected that men of &quot;known detective ability will be added as occasion and the demand for effective police protection arises.&quot; The charge was made that instead of focusing on &quot;tough characters&quot; the police were &quot;arresting a few comparatively harmless chippies while nearly fifty burglaries had occurred within six months.&quot; The new &quot;police&quot; were to begin their duty in December. (11) When it appeared that the ''Telegraph'' and ''Times'' had begun to agree there was a problem with the department, the ''Dubuque Daily Herald'' called for a formal investigation in an article on December 3, 1896.<br /> <br /> [[Image:1905.jpg|right|thumb|200px|In 1905 the entire Dubuque police force posed in this Adams-Farwell three-seater.]]<br /> The office of City Marshall was abolished in 1904 when Thomas Reilly became the chief of police. The same year the position of police detective was created. The city's first two detectives were John Raesle and Thomas Sweeney. <br /> <br /> [[File:ball1.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Program for the first annual Policemen's Ball (1901)]]<br /> [[File:ball2.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Dance card for the ball.]]<br /> [[File:ball3.jpg|200px|thumb|left|]]Civil service, first applied to the department in 1907, did not affect the position of Chief of Police. James R. Pickley was appointed police chief in 1907 but was replaced by a new [[MAYOR]] in 1911 when Reilly returned to his former position. Reilly was succeeded in 1913 by John Raesle. <br /> <br /> The first Chief with a long term of duty was John Giellis who held the position from 1915 until his retirement in 1939. A former employee of the Knapp-Stout bucket factory in Dubuque and then the [[STANDARD LUMBER COMPANY]], Giellis left the lumber business in 1911. At the request of Sheriff Jim Dunn, he became a deputy sheriff and court bailiff. When [[SAUL, James|James SAUL]] became mayor in 1914, one of this first acts was to appoint John Giellis to the office of chief of police. <br /> <br /> Giellis immediately began reorganizing the department. In 1914 the department inherited by Giellis had forty-three men. Those on the night shift worked thirteen hours while those employed during the day worked eleven. There were no automobiles or motorcycles--just one horse-drawn patrol wagon. The officers had no police telegraph alarm system, machine guns, tear gas, sawed-off shotguns or riot guns. The Gamewell Police Telegraph, a system of eighteen call boxes placed throughout the patrol districts, was added in 1921. Foot patrols were called to the box by a red light and a ringing bell. The system served the city well in the 1960s. During the 1920s all police department vehicles, consisting of one motorcycle, two cars, and the [[BLACK MARIA]], a paddy wagon were motorized. The &quot;Black Maria&quot; was the firsr motor vehicle purchased by the police department after the horse-drawn vehicle became obsolete. In 1923 the vehicle was converted into a truck and used by the city electrician. (12) The rise of the violent gangsters in the late 1920s led Chief Geillis in 1932 to purchase the first of several machine guns. Dubuque City Hall employees were startled one afternoon in 1932 when the new firearms were tested on the third floor pistol range. (13)<br /> <br /> The rank of police officers at this time could be determined by the uniform. Sergeants, captains, and the police chief kept their weapons hidden while officers wore their firearms outside their coats. The former group indicated their rank by the number of stars on their collars. By 1933 the department had thirty-nine personnel, two motorcycles, a fleet of squad cars and, according to the ''Telegraph Herald'' at the time, all the latest weapons needed to combat criminals. Giellis served from 1914 to 1920 and was appointed chief under the city manager form of government when it was begun in 1920.<br /> <br /> Prior to [[PARKING METERS]], one and two-hour parking limits were in effect in an area comprising twenty-four square blocks. One-hour parking was in effect on the north-south streets from Bluff to Central Avenue and along Eighth Avenue between these streets. The two-hour parking limit was applied to east-west streets beginning on Fourth and ending on 12th. (14) <br /> <br /> The confusion this held for Dubuque residents was nothing compared to that felt by those from outside the city and unaware of the laws. In 1930 the Chamber of Commerce requested that out-of town visitors be issued &quot;courtesy cards&quot; by the police instead of tickets. These cards read:<br /> <br /> Notice! This is a courtesy card from the Dubuque police department and<br /> the citizens of Dubuque.<br /> <br /> We are pleased to welcome you to our city. We hope you will come often.<br /> Don't worry about the poicemen, as they will treat you with courtesy and<br /> will be glad to advise and assist you in every way to make your visit<br /> pleasant.<br /> <br /> You are not expected to observe the one-hour parking rules.<br /> <br /> Road information may be had at out automobile club on the corner of<br /> Ninth and Loust [[STREETS]]. Telephone 2374.<br /> <br /> Signed: John W. Giellis, chief of police (15)<br /> <br /> <br /> Upon the retirement of Chief Giellis on January 1, 1939, Detective Joseph H. Strub was appointed Chief of Police. During his term, the first police radio car was used by the force to improve communication between the department and officers in the field. The bulky equipment making communication possible was carried in the trunk to save room. Cells in the [[DUBUQUE CITY HALL]] were refurbished. Prior to its being carried by the [[FIRE DEPARTMENT]], a lung machine, an early resuscitator introduced in 1940, was carried to scenes were needed by the police. <br /> <br /> The announcement was made in February 1950 that Dubuque would be one of four or five Iowa cities to try out part of a plan for more uniform traffic law enforcement. Beginning on April 1, the police department would begin using a new form of traffic ticket. Other parts of the plan would be presented to the Iowa legislature by Dubuque Traffic Officer W. J. Andresen, chairman of a three-person committee appointed by the Iowa Association of Chiefs of Police and Peace Officers. (16)<br /> <br /> The department announced in August, 1952 the first use of an Electronic Speed Meter to determine how fast cars were traveling along Dubuque streets. The device emitted a microwave signal that was reflected from a moving car back to the machine. The difference in frequency was indicated on a meter calibrated in miles per hour. The speed was permanently recorded by pen and ink on recorded graph paper. The three parts of the machine weighed 45 pounds. If used in a 'speed trap' the observer would radio to another police car to intercept the speeder. According to Chief of Police Hugh B. Callahan it would not be used in this way in Dubuque. Signs warning drivers that &quot;Dubuque Streets Radar Speed Controlled&quot; were placed in twenty locations within the city. (17) <br /> <br /> Strub retired on February 1, 1952, and was replaced by Hugh B. Callahan who remained in the position until March 1, 1960. Thirty-year veteran Captain [[LUCAS, Percy|Percy LUCAS]] was appointed chief. (18) Lucas was a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Academy in 1945. It was not until 1963 that another officer from Dubuque was chosen for the rigorous course. Captain Byrne A. O'Brien, a police captain qualified by passing competitive examinations. (19)<br /> <br /> [[File:badge2.png|200px|thumb|left|]]<br /> [[File:badge3.png|200px|thumb|left|]]<br /> [[File:badge4.png|200px|thumb|left|]]<br /> [[File:badge5.png|200px|thumb|left|]]<br /> [[File:badge6.png|200px|thumb|left|]]<br /> <br /> In 1962 Police Chief [[LUCAS, Percy|Percy LUCAS]] announced a realignment of staff to improve traffic enforcement and criminal investigation. Included was an immediate creation of a detective bureau and preparation for the formation of a juvenile division that would eventually come under the detective bureau. (20) In 1967 [[O'BRIEN, Robert|Robert O'BRIEN]] was appointed to the newly created position of assistant chief. Lucas remained in office until September 1, 1970, when he retired and was succeeded O'Brien. (21)<br /> <br /> In 1978 the mysterious deaths of two police officers' children led to an investigation of the safety of using hand-held radar guns. The Iowa Occupational Safety and Health division of the Bureau of Labor measured the microwave radiation of the guns and found that the output would need to be increased five-times before being considered unsafe. Use of the department's five guns had been suspended until the safety report had been issued. (22)<br /> <br /> In 1986 police were given the opportunity to be equipped with the Nova XR5000 electronic control device, better known as stun guns. Powered by a nine-volt radio battery, the $80.00 gun produced 50,000 volts, but only 4 milli-amps of current. Each officer to use the weapon had eight hours of training and was instructed to closely follow a policy manual. The police department left its offices in the Dubuque City Hall in December 1974, for new headquarters in the Law Enforcement Center at 770 Iowa Street with state-of-the-art communications and investigative tools. <br /> <br /> In March of 1992 a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Dubuque police and the N.A.A.C.P. after almost two years of discussions. Designed to encourage racial understanding between the police and minorities it provided a panel to hear complaints after police harassment or discrimination.<br /> <br /> The principal provision was establishment of the Community Advisory Panel of nine members who served two-year terms. The membership included one city government representative chosen by the city manager, one police representative chosen by the police chief, three adult citizens of Dubuque chosen by the city manager, one member of the Dubuque Human Rights Commission chosen by the commission, two adults from Dubuque's minority community chosen by the city manager from a list supplied by the N.A.A.C.P., and one police officer chosen by the Police Protective Association. The Memorandum of Understanding called for a written plan establishing hiring procedures that would identify and prevent hiring of candidates holding prejudices. The selection process could include psychological testing and a background check. All new officers would receive racial and cultural sensitivity training no later than two years after being hired. Continued education on racial/cultural sensitivity would be required of all officers. (23)<br /> <br /> Robert O'Brien retired late in December 1984, ending a career of fourteen years as chief of police. On May 28, 1985, [[MAUSS, John J.|John J. MAUSS]], an eighteen and one-half year veteran of the department, was sworn in as the new police chief. One of the new chief's priorities was to seek accreditation for the department. This indicated that it conformed with standards established by top law enforcement departments in the nation. (24)<br /> <br /> In early February 1993 it was announced that Eldon Pfohl, a former Dubuque councilman, had donated $10,000 to the city of Dubuque for video cameras in Dubuque police cars. He was depending on the media to solicit the remaining $50,000. Chief of Police John J. Mauss reported that mounted cameras were being used in Iowa State Patrol cars and in other law enforcement vehicles across the state. It was estimated that it would cost between $4,000 and $4,500 to equip each local vehicle. (25) The camera were field tested in July 1993. Pfohl, who said he was called a racist for his donation, believed the cameras would help officers dispute such claims. In September 1993 the city council approved spending $11,070 to purchase cameras for three patrol cars. (26)<br /> <br /> In March 1993, efforts established a Memorandum of Understanding between the police department and the [[NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF COLORED PEOPLE (N.A.A.C.P.)]] in response of accusations of racism. (27) Leaders of [[CURE]] and the [[CENTER FOR PUBLIC MINISTRY]] supported the agreement, but said they would carefully monitor the Dubuque Community Advisory Panel (later called the Dubuque Community-Police Relations Committee). (28) This group heard complaints about police misconduct regarding civil rights or discrimination. Although the nine-member panel including city, police, and minority members, could not force action, it made recommendations for changes to city and police operations and procedures. (29)<br /> <br /> The community policing philosophy was begun by the department in 1994. A foot patrol was started in the downtown area by three officers. In 1995 the department's community-based policing expanded to include bicycle riding police officers. They performed the same duties as police riding in automobiles except transporting prisoners to jail. (30) The program was expanded in 1998 into several areas bordering the downtown area: East 14th north to East 25th, Central Avenue east to Elm, and 5-Points east to Windsor. Two teams of two officers were formed with one team remaining in the downtown area and the other taking the new sites. (31)<br /> <br /> The department learned in August, 1993 that it had been accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. The designation indicated that the department was operating under consistent standards. Dubuque became the fourth law enforcement agency in Iowa to be accredited with Cedar Falls and Oelwein police departments and the Polk County Sheriff's Department being the others. (32)<br /> <br /> Specialty units were developed. In 1996 a Tactical Entry Team consisting of an assault/entry team, marksman-observer team, and crisis negotiators wasa created to handle hostage rescue, barricaded subjects, VIP protection, and executing high risk warrants. The department created a Mobile Field Force in 2010 to handle crowd or riot control incidents. (33)<br /> <br /> In response to break-ins and other criminal activity in 2010, the department worked closely with citizens to establish the Nextdoor program in Dubuque neighborhoods. An upgrade of the previous Neighborhood Watch program, Nextdoor encouraged neighbors to watch each others' homes and to report suspicious activity quickly to the police. Officials of the department were also available to present programs to civic organizations.<br /> <br /> In 2000 Mauss retired and was succeeded by Kim Wadding who remained until his retirement on June 30, 2009. Assistant Chief Terry Lambert retired in April, 2002 after a career of thirty-seven years. Mark Dalsing, a twenty-year veteran was sworn in as the new chief of police on February 1, 2010.<br /> <br /> Between 2008 and 2012 the department implemented a five-year, fifteen officer expansion plan that increased the department from 94 to 109 officers. This allowed the creation of additional patrol territory and a decrease in the size the the existing territories. (34)<br /> <br /> In 2011 the fifteenth session of the Citizen's Police Academy was offered to residents of the city. The purpose of the program was to build better understanding between citizens and the police through education. Classroom time involved presentations regarding arrest procedures, search and seizure, use of force, laws and policies, police procedures, domestic abuse cases, sexual abuse cases, drug enforcement, OWIs, officer safety and prevention programs. Requirements for participation in the program included the applicant be a resident of the city, be at least 18 years of age, and have no felony convictions or significant arrest history. The classes involved twelve three hour sessions. There was also a mandatory ride-along with a patrol officer and an optional firearms sessions. (35)<br /> <br /> In 2015 it was announced that the department intended to purchase 120 body-worn cameras by the end of 2017. The city had received a federal grant in excess of $61,000 to help the department outfit of its officers. (36) At about the same time, the department used a grant to purchase diving equipment to serve a new team--a police department diving team useful in recovering evidence underwater.<br /> <br /> A virtual arms simulator purchased by the Dubuque County Sheriff's Department in partnership with Northeast Iowa Community College was demonstrated at the Midwest Gang Investigators Association conference in Dubuque on May 16, 2016. Five projection screens capable of playing 150 gun-related scenarios simulated confrontations with active shooters, domestic standoffs, and drive-by shootings. Officers in the simulator were fitted with clip-on packs that delivered shocks indicating where they were &quot;shot&quot; or &quot;injured.&quot; (37) It was suggested that large police departments could use the simulator for a fee. (38)<br /> <br /> The Dubuque Police Department in June, 2016 asked the public's help in developing a policy to govern the use of police body cameras. In 2015 the department received a $61,000 federal grant and donations to outfit all city police officers with body cameras over a two-year period. The city was required to match the grant. As part of the program, department officials developed an internal policy to guide officers on the use, retention and release of body camera footage. (39) In December, 2016 it was announced that police officers would be wearing the devices by the end of the year. (40)<br /> <br /> With the donation of $80,000, the police department in 2017 was able to add another K-9 to its force. The campaign was led by Jeff Mozena, president of [[PREMIER BANK]]. Mozena and other community leaders met with police officials to ask for needs of the department. The funds were raised in about one month. The donations covered the costs of buying the dog, training the dog and instructing a police officer in its use, and a specially equipped squad car for the pair. The force then had two K-9s for multipurpose use. A third dog was dedicated to bomb-sniffing and was not regularly on patrol. (41)<br /> <br /> In June 2018, the Dubuque Police Department began offering emotional intelligence training for its officers to make them more aware of their emotions, thoughts, feeling and beliefs during crisis situations. While this has been preceded by de-escalation and cultural competency trainings, but this is a first for the department. During the three day training, officers are focus on empathy, communicating with others, relationship management, and coping with anger. The program is led by the Personal Empowerment staff of the [[UNIVERSITY OF DUBUQUE]]. Plans were underway to provide the training to all officers. (42)<br /> <br /> By 2018 the department had nine members, one of whom was a member of the [[FIRE DEPARTMENT]], on its diving team. The formation of the team had been a goal of Lt. Dave Haupert and Police Chief Mark Dalsing since 2015. The location of the city near the Mississippi River as well as lakes and ponds increased the importance of having officers trained in the recovery of material from water. New team members attended certification classes in Madison, Wisconsin. Experiences there included classroom time, training in a swimming pool, and experience on open-water. Future plans called to training in administering first aid and diving in ice-covered water. (43)<br /> <br /> A new command position was added to the force in 208 to supervise special operations teams. In 2019 another officer position was created beginning a three-year process to add three police officers to strengthen the School Resource Officer (SRO) program with the [[DUBUQUE COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT]]. This would result in the number of SROs to eight (each high school and middle school would have their own and two would provide service to the elementary schools) These hirings would bring the force to 113 officers. (44)<br /> <br /> The city reported in 2020 that the city's camera system was part of the traffic signal control system but also used daily by the police department. The network of cameras grew to 1,225 cameras spread over 250 locations. The fiscal year 2021 budget recommended two new positions. (45)<br /> <br /> The City of Dubuque in May, 2021 reached a $1.8 million settlement with a former female police captain who sued the city and Police Chief Mark Dalsing in 2019 on the grounds of gender discrimination, harassment and retaliation. Abby Simon’s lawsuit claimed that in 2016 and in 2017, she was passed over for a promotion to captain despite receiving better test and interview scores than the two men who received the promotions. In addition to discrimination against her, the lawsuit alleged there was a broad issue with sexism and discrimination in the department. The lawsuit sought an unspecified judgment that would “fully and fairly compensate (Simon) for her injuries and damages” and any other relief deemed appropriate. (46)<br /> <br /> Simon was promoted to captain in 2018 after filing a complaint, but said she faced hostility from fellow officers and Chief Mark Dalsing. That Dalsing sent an email to colleagues stating that the department was &quot;forced&quot; to create a new captain's position for Simon after she complained of discrimination, the lawsuit said. Simon said City Manager [[VAN MILLIGEN, Michael|Michael VAN MILLIGEN]] asked her &quot;whether she had thought about the long-term consequences if she sued the city.&quot; When she retired in January 2020, Simon was the highest-ranking woman in the department. She cited her reason for retiring was City Council members' refusal to hold Dalsing and Van Milligen accountable. (47)<br /> <br /> In February, 2023 the city council approved a plan to expand the city's ability to help people in crisis. The program followed a secondary responder model of law enforcement. This approach focused on bringing resources to those in need by sending a second trained responder after first responders identified a need. Second responders reduced the time first responders were needed while connecting those with mental health issues, substance abuse, or homelessness with resource providers. The critical incident team included ten members. (48)<br /> <br /> He's succeeding Chief Jeremy Jensen, who's retiring next month.<br /> <br /> On Monday, July 20, 2026 he city of Dubuque officially swore in its new police chief. The council promoted Assistant Chief Joe Messerich to take over the department in May. Messerich has worked in Dubuque for 25 years. (50)<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> See: [[INTEGRATION]]<br /> <br /> See: [[AFRICAN AMERICANS]]<br /> <br /> See: [[GANGS]]<br /> <br /> See: [[MOTORCYCLE POLICE]]<br /> <br /> <br /> ---<br /> <br /> Source:<br /> <br /> 1. Sedwick, Elizabeth A. '''The Police Department of Dubuque, Iowa'''. Dubuque: Scott Printing &amp; Design, 2012, p. i<br /> <br /> 2. Ibid.<br /> <br /> 3. Oldt, Franklin T. '''History of Dubuque County, Iowa'''. http://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/franklin-t-oldt/history-of-dubuque-county-iowa-being-a-general-survey-of-dubuque-county-histor-tdl/page-13-history-of-dubuque-county-iowa-being-a-general-survey-of-dubuque-county-histor-tdl.shtml<br /> <br /> 4. Ibid. p. 17<br /> <br /> 5. &quot;Looking for Bids,&quot; ''Dubuque Herald'', February 12, 1873, p. 4. Online: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=uh8FjILnQOkC&amp;dat=18730212&amp;printsec=frontpage&amp;hl=en<br /> <br /> 6. Sedwick, p. ii<br /> <br /> 7. &quot;Fire and Patrol Alarms,&quot; ''Dubuque Daily Herald'', April 1, 1892, p. 4. Online: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=_OG5zn83XeQC&amp;dat=18920401&amp;printsec=frontpage&amp;hl=en<br /> <br /> 8. &quot;The Mayor's Sieve,&quot; ''Dubuque Daily Herald'', April 15, 1892, p. 4. Online: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=_OG5zn83XeQC&amp;dat=18920415&amp;printsec=frontpage&amp;hl=en<br /> <br /> 9. &quot;Police Captain Murphy,&quot; ''Dubuque Daily Herald'', June 2, 1894, p. 4<br /> <br /> 10. &quot;A Police Matron,&quot; ''Dubuque Daily Herald'', November 8, 1895, p. 8<br /> <br /> 11. &quot;The First Case,&quot; ''Dubuque Daily Herald,'' January 12, 1896, p. 4<br /> <br /> 12. &quot;Old 'Black Maria' Now a City Truck,&quot; ''Dubuque Telegraph-Herald,'' June 11, 1923, p. 5<br /> <br /> 13. Sedwick, p. iii<br /> <br /> 14. Tyson, H. G. &quot;Parking Rules Are Defended,&quot; ''Telegraph-Herald'', April 14, 1946, p. 17<br /> <br /> 15. &quot;Cops Distribute Courtesy Cards,&quot; ''Telegraph-Herald,'' June 25, 1930, p. 3<br /> <br /> 16. &quot;Traffic Ticket to be Changed,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', February 5, 1950, p. 17<br /> <br /> 17. &quot;Radar to Clock Cars in City 'Speed Zones,'&quot; Telegraph-Herald, August 3, 1952, p. 17<br /> <br /> 18. &quot;Cops Distribute... p.ii<br /> <br /> 19. &quot;O'Brien Chosen for FBI Academy,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', July 20, 1964, p. 1<br /> <br /> 20. Payton, John. &quot;Dubuque Police Form Detective Unit,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', March 29, 1962 p. 10<br /> <br /> 21. Sedwick, p. ii<br /> <br /> 22. Kircher, Steve, &quot;Police Radar Guns Declared Safe; Association Satisfied,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', September 27, 1978, p. 1<br /> <br /> 23. Hanson, Lynn, &quot;Process Solidifies Understanding,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', March 13, 1992, p. 2<br /> <br /> 24. Wicked''Italic text''<br /> <br /> 25. Webber, Steve. &quot;Pfohl Gives City $10,000,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', February 1, 1993, p. 3A<br /> <br /> 26. Bagsarian, Tom. &quot;Patrolcam,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', July 24, 1993, p. 3A<br /> <br /> 27. Krapfl, Mike. &quot;Harmony Challenge: Break the Silence,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', February 11, 1993, p. 1<br /> <br /> 28. Hanson, Lyn. &quot;Police, NAACP Reach Accord,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', March 12, 1993, p. 3A<br /> <br /> 29. Basarian, Tom. &quot;Mixed Reviews for NAACP, Police Memorandum,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', March 16, 1993, 3A<br /> <br /> 30. Sweeney, Kathleen. &quot;Bike Police Gain More Authority,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', April 18, 1997, p. 3A. Online: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=aEyKTaVlRPYC&amp;dat=19970418&amp;printsec=frontpage&amp;hl=en<br /> <br /> 31. Reber, Craig. &quot;Bicycle Police Expand Patrol,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', February 27, 1998, p. 1. Online: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=aEyKTaVlRPYC&amp;dat=19980227&amp;printsec=frontpage&amp;hl=en<br /> <br /> 32. &quot;Agency Accredits Dubuque Police,&quot; Telegraph Herald, August 2, 1993, p. 3A<br /> <br /> 33. Sedwick, p. iv<br /> <br /> 34. &quot;Police Staffing Expansion,&quot; '''City Focus''', The City of Dubuque, Spring 2020, p. 5<br /> <br /> 35. &quot;Citizens' Academy Offered,&quot; '''Julien's Journal''', January 2011, p. 6<br /> <br /> 36. &quot;2015: A By-The-Numbers Review of the Year in the Tri-States,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', January 3, 2016, p. 2<br /> <br /> 37. Yager, Alicia. &quot;Bullet Item,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', May 17, 2016, p. 1<br /> <br /> 38. Ibid., p. 3A<br /> <br /> 39. &quot;Public Opinion Sought on Police Body Cameras in Dubuque,&quot; SFGate, June 5, 2016, Online: http://www.sfgate.com/news/crime/article/Public-opinion-sought-on-police-body-cameras-in-7964433.php<br /> <br /> 40. Yager, Alicia. &quot;Police Body Camera Almost Set to Roll,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', December 19, 2016, p. 1<br /> <br /> 41. Yager, Alicia. &quot;Thanks to $80,000 in Donations, Dubuque Police Add Another K-9,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', August 7, 2017, p. 1A<br /> <br /> 42. Descorbeth, Shirley, &quot;Dubuque Officers Take Emotional Intelligence Training,&quot; KWWL.com. June 6, 2018, Online: http://www.kwwl.com/story/38366646/2018/6/6/dubuque-officers-take-emotional-intelligence-training<br /> <br /> 43. Yager, Alicia, &quot;Dubuque Officers Become Immersed in Training,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', August 9, 2018, p. 1A<br /> <br /> 44. &quot;Police Staffing Expansion,&quot; '''City Focus''', p. 4<br /> <br /> 45. Ibid. p. 4<br /> <br /> 46. Hogstrom, Erik, &quot;Dubuque Reaches $1.8 Million Settlement with Former Police Captain Over Discrimination Claims,&quot; TH Online. https://www.telegraphherald.com/news/tri-state/article_e1d5223f-7756-5040-9c3b-ff246909bd60.html <br /> <br /> 47. Associated Press, &quot;Dubuque Agrees to Pay $1.8 Million to Settle Gender Discrimination Lawsuit Against Dubuque Police Department,&quot; Online. https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/crime-and-courts/2021/05/18/dubuque-iowa-settles-police-department-gender-discrimination-lawsuit/5150089001/<br /> <br /> 48. &quot;Secondary Responder Plan Gains Momentum,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', August 6, 2023, p. 8A<br /> <br /> 49.<br /> <br /> 50. &quot;Dubuque Swears in New Police Chief at City Council Meeting,&quot; KCGR Online, July 20, 2026, https://share.google/IBLxHQto6Ajv8gPGx<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> [[Category: Law Enforcement]]<br /> [[Category: City Government]]</div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=DATA_CENTERS&diff=187744 2026-07-23T19:30:35Z

<p>Randylyon: </p> <hr /> <div>[[File:datacenter.png|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Harvard Gazette]]DATA CENTERS. In 2026 Dubuque joined the national debate centered on whether to construct a data center. Interest / concern resulted in a questionnaire mailed to each household in the community asking for input before the city council and county supervisors made a decision. (Appendix 1)<br /> <br /> '''What is a Data Center?''' The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 defined a data center as &quot;any facility that primarily contains electronic equipment used to process, store, and transmit digital information.&quot; This includes &quot;a free-standing structure&quot; or &quot;a facility within a larger structure, that uses environmental control equipment to maintain the proper conditions for the operation of electronic equipment.&quot; According to IBM, data centers date back to the 1940s; the U.S. military's Electrical Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC) was an early example. (1)<br /> <br /> Over the years, computers became more size-efficient, requiring less physical space. In the 1990s, microcomputers drastically reduced the amount of space needed for IT operations. Microcomputers that began filling old mainframe computer rooms became known as “servers.” The rooms became known as “data centers.”<br /> <br /> The advent of cloud computing in the early 2000s significantly disrupted the traditional data center landscape. Cloud services allowed organizations to access computing resources on-demand, over the internet, with pay-per-use pricing—enabling the flexibility to scale up or down as needed. In 2006, Google opened the first hyperscale data center in The Dalles, Oregon. This facility by 2025 occupied 1.3 million square feet of space and employed a staff of approximately 200 data center operators. <br /> <br /> A study from McKinsey &amp; Company projects the industry to grow at 10% a year through 2030, with global spending on the construction of new facilities reaching 49 billion dollars. (2)<br /> <br /> There are different types of data center facilities. A single company might use more than one type, depending on workloads and business needs.<br /> <br /> The Enterprise Data Center hosts all IT infrastructure and data on-premises. This model provides have more control over information security and can more easily comply with regulations like the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the US Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The company is responsible for all use, monitoring and management tasks.<br /> <br /> Cloud data centers (also called cloud computing data centers) house IT infrastructure for shared use by multiple customers—from scores to millions—through an internet connection. Many of the largest cloud data centers—called hyperscale data centers—are run by major cloud service providers (CSPs), including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform, IBM Cloud, and Microsoft Azure. These companies have major data centers in every region of the world. <br /> <br /> Hyperscale data centers are larger than traditional data centers and can cover millions of square feet. They typically contain at least 5,000 servers and miles of connection equipment. They can sometimes be as large as 60,000 square feet.<br /> <br /> Cloud service providers typically maintain smaller, edge data centers (EDCs) located closer to cloud customers (and cloud customers’ customers). Edge data centers form the foundation for edge computing, a distributed computing framework that brings applications closer to end users. Edge data centers are ideal for real-time, data-intensive workloads like big data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and content delivery. They help minimize &quot;latency,&quot; the time it takes for data to travel from one point to another, improving the application performance and customer experience. (3)<br /> <br /> Clean Energy Group hosted a webinar on the hazards of rapid data center development and what community groups can do to mitigate harmful data center proposals. KD Minor from the Alliance for Affordable Energy in Louisiana, Julie Bolthouse from the Piedmont Environmental Council in Virginia, and Matthew Shorraw from Physicians for Social Responsibility in Pennsylvania discussed strategies and case studies from their respective states and provided crucial information on how and where to push back.<br /> <br /> '''What Problems Have Been Associated with Data Centers?''' The main takeaways from the discussion were summarized in three points: 1) data center energy use is increasing pollution from fossil fuel power plants, 2) data center development is raising utility bills from power plants and transmission, and 3) data centers use massive amounts of water.<br /> <br /> In Louisiana, the development of a Meta hyperscale data center called “Hyperion” led the local utility to propose three new natural gas power plants. These plans were then expedited by the Louisiana Public Service Commission, skipping the typical proposal review process. The increased gas capacity will be used to meet up to 5 gigawatts (GW) of energy demand from Hyperion, which is twice the amount of electricity used by the entire city of New Orleans on a hot summer day.<br /> <br /> In Virginia, data centers are the main driver behind 28 GW of predicted load growth by 2050. In addition to new baseload gas plants proposed in the region, data centers generally have backup diesel generators on site. In Virginia alone, 9,000 diesel generators emitting harmful pollutants into the air are being used as backup power for data centers.<br /> <br /> Pennsylvania leads the regional grid in energy exports, supplying electricity to data centers both in Pennsylvania and other states in the PJM region. The state’s energy is dominated by natural gas, with renewable energy only representing 4 percent of generation. Recent initiatives enacted by PJM and Pennsylvania continue to prioritize gas to meet data center-driven demand.<br /> <br /> The current electricity rate structure does not reflect the new data center-driven load growth. Data centers often receive discounted energy and tax rates brokered through private negotiations and strong leverage and influence because of their size. The hopes of increasing jobs has been frequently used to get support for construction. The construction of data centers requires workers because these are large construction projects, but that lasts a year or two; sometimes that labor is local and unionized, and sometimes that labor is trade professionals who come in from other states. Once the data center is up and running, it requires very few people, often just 20 to 50 staff members.(4)<br /> <br /> New transmission lines built to connect data centers to the massive amounts of energy they use are shared among all utility customers, leaving households and businesses with rising utility bills. In Virginia, transmission lines built for data centers cost $12 billion. New transmission lines can also jeopardize trails, riparian buffers, parks, and sometimes homes as utilities call on public and private rights-of-way and encourage the local governments to use their power of eminent domain.<br /> <br /> In Louisiana, Meta initially promised to pay 15 years of the capital costs of the new gas plants and some of the transmission upgrades necessary to power Hyperion. They later lowered their commitment to just four years, even though ratepayers will be paying back the costs of these investments for over 30 years.<br /> <br /> In Loudon County, Virginia, data centers make up 10 percent of all water use. Their demand spikes during the hottest months, when rivers are already running low. To cool the Hyperion hyperscale data center in Louisiana, Meta requested the right withdraw a total of 5.6 million gallons of water every day from local sources. (5)<br /> <br /> Large data centers require significant energy to power their operations, leading to concerns about the large use of energy. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimated that electricity consumption from these data centers amounts to around 415 terawatt hours (TWh), about 1.5% of global electricity consumption in 2024, at a growth rate of 12% per year over the last five years. The IEA projects this amount could double to reach around 945 TWh by 2030, growing by around 15% per year. [11] In the U.S. alone, power consumption by data centers will be &quot;almost half of the growth in electricity demand between now and 2030.&quot; According to Terry Nguyen and Ben Green of the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition, a single data center can &quot;consume up to 2 megawatt hours (MWh),&quot; the same as &quot;the equivalent power consumption of a small town.&quot; This includes increased electricity costs.<br /> <br /> According to a study in the academic journal '''Npj Clean Water''', it was estimated that data centers consumed about 1.7 billion liters of water per day in 2021, with 57% drawn from potable supplies, noting that fewer than one-third of operators measured their water use. A 100-megawatt (MW) data center can use up to 2 million gallons daily. Evaporated water is not returned to the local water system. Water is also necessary to cool the power plants that provide electricity to data centers. Concerns over environmental impacts, energy and water use, and other costs have led to opposition to new data centers during the AI boom. These movements have been seen in parts of Europe, the U.S., and South America. The first report of '''Data Center Watch''' covered a period from May 2024 to March of 2025, where it was discovered that &quot;local opposition had blocked or delayed a total of $64 billion in data center projects (six projects were blocked entirely, while 10 were delayed).&quot; (6)<br /> <br /> '''Reaction to Data Center Construction''' [[File:datacentermap.png|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Data Center Moratoriums. Online: https://www.datacenterbans.com/]]<br /> <br /> <br /> Since early 2024, more than 1,200 public actions – including zoning fights, public campaigns and temporary moratoriums – have been logged by the '''Data Center Tracker,''' a public U.S. database of community responses to data center site selection. This momentum is leading to political action. In Maine, lawmakers passed a contested bill in spring 2026 that would have imposed the nation’s first statewide moratorium on new data centers. Gov. Janet Mills later vetoed the measure on grounds that it would scuttle a $550 million conversion of the closed Androscoggin Mill in the town of Jay into a data center. Mills said, however, she supported in principle a pause in development and signed separate legislation barring state tax incentives going to data centers. She also pledged to create a council to study the industry statewide. Up to 10 other states are considering similar measures to contain data center expansion. (7) On July 14, 2026 Governor Kathy Hochul of New York State signed the first statewide moratorium on new hyperscale data centers. (8)<br /> <br /> '''Data Centers Development in Iowa.''' Tech leaders like Google, Facebook and Microsoft have invested billions in data centers in Iowa. Often cited as attractions Iowa offers these companies includes the state ranking #1 in the nation in wind energy as a percentage of total power output (AWEA, 2020), a stable power grid in place, a high density of telecommunications infrastructure, the state rank of 18% lower construction costs than national average (NAI Global), and its rank of #2 in lowest cost of doing business in the country (Business Facilities, 2017) Iowa is also in the &quot;Safe Zone&quot; for low earthquake and blackout risk in Iowa. (9)<br /> <br /> [[File:earthquakemap.png|400px|thumb|left|Low earthquake and blackout risk in Iowa. USGS Earthquake Hazard Program<br /> A map of the United States showing Iowa's earthquake and blackout risks, most of which exist to the south and west of the state of Iowa. Courtesy: Iowa Economic &amp; Finance Authority]]<br /> <br /> As of July 17, 2026 Dubuque County Supervisors remained skeptical. A study commissioned by the [[GREATER DUBUQUE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION]] employed an Arkansas consulting firm to evaluate the economic impact locally of a data center. The firm's numbers seemed high--a center with a $12 billion capital investment would create 400 permanent jobs, 1,000 construction jobs, generate $6.2 billion of economic impact for the county and just over $200 million in state and local taxes. These were considered a 'conservative' estimate according to Jason White, the president and CEO of GDDC. (10)<br /> <br /> A 2026 study of data center employment effects supported by the Brookings Institute found that data centers do create local jobs, with special considerations. (11) Counties that receive their first large data center see total private employment rise by 4%-5% over five to six years. Construction employment jumps 11%, and information sector employment—IT services, telecommunications, software—grows by 22%. Wages rise by 3%-4% for both existing workers and new hires, without a significant increase in home prices. In a typical county with 98,000 workers, these estimates imply roughly 2,000 to 4,000 additional jobs after six years, depending on facility type.<br /> <br /> The most policy-relevant finding is that the employment effects depend on facility type. Facilities are classified into two types: hyperscale (built by cloud and AI companies—Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Meta—to run their own workloads) and colocation (built by data center landlords—Equinix, Digital Realty, CyrusOne—who lease space to remote tenants). This distinction, absent from prior research and current policy, turns out to be critical.<br /> <br /> Hyperscale counties see large information sector gains while colocation counties do not. A hyperscale campus creates demand for local fiber installers, network operations centers, managed service providers, and IT contractors, firms that set up nearby to serve the campus. A colocation facility leases space to remote tenants who may have no local operational presence. <br /> <br /> Importantly, the largest information sector gains do not come from a single facility. Specifically, counties with a single data center see modest total employment effects but no significant information sector growth. However, counties with four or more facilities see an impressive 23% increase in information sector employment, indicating that the technology that drives these gains takes time and scale to develop.<br /> <br /> Communities have legitimate concerns about energy costs, water use, and environmental impact, and those concerns deserve evidence-based answers of their own. But the labor market dimension of this debate has been conducted largely without data, according to the Brookings Study which suggests several things policymakers should know:<br /> <br /> * Data centers do create local jobs, though fewer than industry advocates claim. Naive estimates that fail to account for preexisting growth trends overstate the effect by a factor of three.<br /> <br /> * Not all data centers are equal. The technology ecosystem effects that distinguish data centers from warehouses are concentrated in hyperscale investment. Colocation facilities generate construction activity but not the IT agglomeration that makes data centers a distinctive economic development tool.<br /> <br /> * Clusters generate the largest effects. Single facilities produce modest employment gains. The information sector benefits require multiple facilities in the same area.<br /> <br /> * Workers see modest real gains. Wages rise 3%-4% for both existing workers and new hires, with no significant effect on home prices.<br /> <br /> * Incentives may be poorly targeted. Overall, state incentives are small relative to private investment. In hyperscale counties, incentives represent about 2% of total construction investment. Location decisions for these facilities are driven by power availability, land, and fiber infrastructure, not by tax breaks. In colocation counties, incentives represent a much larger share of total investment (62%), meaning subsidies may matter more for the facilities that generate the smallest employment benefits.<br /> <br /> Dubuque County supervisors approved a 12-month moratorium on new data center construction in May, 2026. However, the city is moving forward with drafting its own municipal rules. On July 21, 2026 over 200 people attended a meeting in the Grand River Center to express their ideas on potential data center developments in Dubuque. The City of Dubuque hosted the public input session to guide the creation of a future data center ordinance. City officials emphasized that no formal site plans, annexation petitions, or development agreements had been submitted.<br /> <br /> Recent interest from developers has brought data center regulations to the forefront. A Florida-based real estate firm previously inquired about connecting a potential site near the [[DUBUQUE REGIONAL AIRPORT]] to city water and sewer systems. That potential project could require up to 3 million gallons of water to start operations and 250,000 gallons annually to maintain them. (12)<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Source:<br /> <br /> 1. &quot;Data Center,&quot; Wikipedia<br /> <br /> 2. &quot;What is a Data Center?&quot; IBM, Online: https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/data-centers<br /> <br /> 3. Ibid.<br /> <br /> 4. Mineo, Liz, &quot;Why are Communities Pushing Back Against Data Centers?&quot; The Harvard Gazette, Online: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2026/04/why-are-communities-pushing-back-against-data-centers/<br /> <br /> 5. Morgan, Eva, &quot;Three of the Biggest Harms from Irresponsible Data Center Development—and What Communities Can Do to Fight Back,&quot; Online: https://www.cleanegroup.org/data-center-development/ November 20, 2025<br /> <br /> 6. &quot;Data Center''<br /> <br /> 7. Yue, Daniel and Yiyang, Zeng,&quot;Why Better‑off Cities and Towns See More Benefits From Data Centers Than Rural Regions &quot; theConversation.com Online: https://theconversation.com/why-better-off-cities-and-towns-see-more-benefits-from-data-centers-than-rural-regions-286750<br /> <br /> 8. &quot;First Statewide Moratorium on New Hyperscale Data Centers Launched by Governor Kathy Hochul,&quot; https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/first-statewide-moratorium-new-hyperscale-data-centers-launched-governor-kathy-hochul<br /> <br /> 9. &quot;Data Centers,&quot; Iowa Economic Development &amp; Finance Authority Online: https://opportunityiowa.gov/business/iowa-advantage/key-industries/finance-insurance/data-centers<br /> <br /> 10. Burwell, Grace, County Candidates Skeptical of Data Center Estimates,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', July 17, 2026, p. 1<br /> <br /> 11. Bahar, Dany and Greg Wright, &quot;New Evidence on Data Center Employment Effects,&quot; Brookings Institute, Online: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/new-evidence-on-data-center-employment-effects/<br /> <br /> 12. Vetter, Duane, ''Dubuque Residents Show Up in Droves for Data Center Input Session,'' KCRG Online: https://www.kcrg.com/2026/07/22/dubuque-residents-show-up-droves-data-center-input-session/<br /> <br /> Appendix 1`<br /> <br /> [[File:page1xyz.jpg|400px|thumb|right|Courtesy: Harvard Gazette]]<br /> <br /> [[File:page2xyz.jpg|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Harvard Gazette]]</div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=PARIS_HOTEL&diff=187738 2026-07-20T17:12:33Z

<p>Randylyon: </p> <hr /> <div>PARIS HOTEL. Prior to the development of the land as a hotel, B. D. Linehan operated a blacksmith on the site at the southwest corner of Fourth and Clay [[STREETS]] (1) By 1892, however, the location in downtown Dubuque proved too valuable and construction by Manhart &amp; Noel began on the Paris Hotel. Costing an estimated $35,000, the hotel opened for business in late September. (2)<br /> <br /> Business did not prove profitable. On January 30, 1895, the hotel valued at $35,000 was sold at auction to satisfy creditors. The price of $16,500 was paid by George Redmond of Bellevue. (3) In 1895 G. O. Gurnee of Clinton leased the building to be operated as a $2.00 per day hotel. (4) [[NAGLE, Joseph J.|Joseph J. NAGLE]] purchased the hotel in 1908 for an estimated $15,000 from the Adams brothers who had considered it for manufacturing purposes and apparently continued the lease arrangement with Gurnee. (5) <br /> <br /> In 1912 plans for extensive remodeling were announced. Gurnee, the proprietor, had already installed telephones in all of the guest rooms. (6) The planned installation of an elevator in the hotel and baths in twenty-five or thirty of the guest rooms led the ''Telegraph Herald'' to announce that &quot;no other hotel in this city or part of the country would be better equipped for caring for the traveling public.&quot; (7)<br /> <br /> The following years show many owners. D. H. McCarthy purchased the hotel in 1914. (8) He gave up the lease to J. J. Nagle the following year. (9) This was the same year that Martin Maloney, the proprietor, died suddenly. (10) In 1916, the hotel was sold to R. C. McGlashan. (11) <br /> <br /> See: [[CANFIELD HOTEL]]<br /> <br /> ---<br /> <br /> Sources:<br /> (As noted, some information was obtained from resource cards found at the Carnegie-Stout Public Library. The exact title of the articles is not known, since the paper had disintegrated before they could be photocopied.<br /> <br /> 1. ''Telegraph Herald'', September 5, 1937<br /> <br /> 2. (Resource card)''Dubuque Daily Herald'', August 27, 1892<br /> <br /> 3. &quot;Hotel Paris Sold,&quot; ''Dubuque Daily Herald'', January 31, 1895, p. 8 Online:https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=_OG5zn83XeQC&amp;dat=18950131&amp;printsec=frontpage&amp;hl=en<br /> <br /> 4. (Resource card) ''Dubuque Globe Journal'', April 13, 1899<br /> <br /> 5. &quot;J. J. Nagle Buys The Paris Hotel,&quot; ''The Telegraph-Herald'', April 10, 1908, p. 10<br /> <br /> 6. &quot;Paris Hotel is to be Remodeled,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', September 9, 1912<br /> <br /> 7. Ibid.<br /> <br /> 8. &quot;D. H. McCarthy Purchases Hotel,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', June 10, 1914<br /> <br /> 9. &quot;D. H. McCarthy Gives Up Lease to J. J. Nagle,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'' June 30, 1915<br /> <br /> 10. &quot;Martin Maloney, Proprietor, Dies Suddenly,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', Aug. 31 1915<br /> <br /> 11. (Resource card) ''Evening Times Journal'', March 1, 1916<br /> <br /> [[Category: Hotel]]</div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=File:Cherba.png&diff=187737 2026-07-20T14:01:59Z

<p>Randylyon: </p> <hr /> <div></div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=CHERBA,_Constance_%22Connie%22&diff=187736 2026-07-20T14:01:27Z

<p>Randylyon: </p> <hr /> <div>[[File:cherba.png|250px|thumb|left|Photo courtesy: Telegraph Herald]]CHERBA, Constance &quot;Connie,&quot; (Dubuque, IA, January 4. 1949--July 10, 2026) The first daughter of Charles Richard and Mary Edith (Cox) Schweitzer, Connie graduated from [[DUBUQUE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL]] in 1967, and then attended the University of Iowa, California Lutheran College and [[LORAS COLLEGE]] before graduating from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City in 1971 with a degree in psychology.<br /> <br /> On August 16, 1969, she married Donald Leo Cherba at [[FIRST CONGREGATIONAL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST]].<br /> <br /> Connie was a loving and devoted mother and grandmother. Whether hunting for agates and arrowheads along Nine Mile, exploring the [[MINES OF SPAIN]], touring [[CIVIL WAR]] battlefields, beach camping on the East Coast, hiking the mountains of Montana with Outward Bound or the trails of Italy’s Cinque Terre, cheering the girls through countless swim practices and meets, or hosting her grandsons each summer, she embraced every moment with curiosity, enthusiasm and love.<br /> <br /> Connie was a genealogist, historian, author and avocational archaeologist. She enjoyed nothing more than looking into the past — whether it was paging through old documents or sifting through layers of dirt. As a result of her research, she published more than 350 articles in local, national and international magazines. For many years, she worked as the Dubuque Contributing Editor for Big River Magazine and as the senior feature writer for [[JULIEN'S JOURNAL]]. She also worked as a collaborative writer and editor, helping authors transform their ideas into finished books.<br /> <br /> She was a former volunteer with the Finley Hospital Sunshine Circle, a member of Chapter IK, PEO Sisterhood, and a member of the Iowa and the Northwest Iowa Archeological Associations. Connie was a lifelong member and contributor at First Congregational UCC, where she served as Moderator, Vice-Moderator, Trustee and most recently as Church Clerk and Archivist.<br /> <br /> ---<br /> <br /> Source:<br /> <br /> Obituary, First Congregational UCC and the Telegraph Herald<br /> <br /> [[Category: Educator]]<br /> [[Category: Religious Leader]]</div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=CHERBA,_Constance_%22Connie%22&diff=187735 2026-07-19T20:41:54Z

<p>Randylyon: Created page with &quot;CHERBA, Constance &quot;Connie,&quot; (Dubuque, IA, January 4. 1949--July 10, 2026) The first daughter of Charles Richard and Mary Edith (Cox) Schweitzer, Connie graduated from DUBUQUE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL in 1967, and then attended the University of Iowa, California Lutheran College and LORAS COLLEGE before graduating from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City in 1971 with a degree in psychology. On August 16, 1969, she married Donald Leo Cherba at FIRST CONGREGATIONA...&quot;</p> <hr /> <div>CHERBA, Constance &quot;Connie,&quot; (Dubuque, IA, January 4. 1949--July 10, 2026) The first daughter of Charles Richard and Mary Edith (Cox) Schweitzer, Connie graduated from [[DUBUQUE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL]] in 1967, and then attended the University of Iowa, California Lutheran College and [[LORAS COLLEGE]] before graduating from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City in 1971 with a degree in psychology.<br /> <br /> On August 16, 1969, she married Donald Leo Cherba at [[FIRST CONGREGATIONAL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST]].<br /> <br /> Connie was a loving and devoted mother and grandmother. Whether hunting for agates and arrowheads along Nine Mile, exploring the [[MINES OF SPAIN]], touring [[CIVIL WAR]] battlefields, beach camping on the East Coast, hiking the mountains of Montana with Outward Bound or the trails of Italy’s Cinque Terre, cheering the girls through countless swim practices and meets, or hosting her grandsons each summer, she embraced every moment with curiosity, enthusiasm and love.<br /> <br /> Connie was a genealogist, historian, author and avocational archaeologist. She enjoyed nothing more than looking into the past — whether it was paging through old documents or sifting through layers of dirt. As a result of her research, she published more than 350 articles in local, national and international magazines. For many years, she worked as the Dubuque Contributing Editor for Big River Magazine and as the senior feature writer for [[JULIEN'S JOURNAL]]. She also worked as a collaborative writer and editor, helping authors transform their ideas into finished books.<br /> <br /> She was a former volunteer with the Finley Hospital Sunshine Circle, a member of Chapter IK, PEO Sisterhood, and a member of the Iowa and the Northwest Iowa Archeological Associations. Connie was a lifelong member and contributor at First Congregational UCC, where she served as Moderator, Vice-Moderator, Trustee and most recently as Church Clerk and Archivist.<br /> <br /> ---<br /> <br /> Source:<br /> <br /> Obituary, First Congregational UCC and the Telegraph Herald<br /> <br /> [[Category: Educator]]<br /> [[Category: Religious Leader]]</div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=DATA_CENTERS&diff=187734 2026-07-19T20:25:07Z

<p>Randylyon: </p> <hr /> <div>[[File:datacenter.png|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Harvard Gazette]]DATA CENTERS. In 2026 Dubuque joined the national debate centered on whether to construct a data center. Interest / concern resulted in a questionnaire mailed to each household in the community asking for input before the city council and county supervisors made a decision. (Appendix 1)<br /> <br /> '''What is a Data Center?''' The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 defined a data center as &quot;any facility that primarily contains electronic equipment used to process, store, and transmit digital information.&quot; This includes &quot;a free-standing structure&quot; or &quot;a facility within a larger structure, that uses environmental control equipment to maintain the proper conditions for the operation of electronic equipment.&quot; According to IBM, data centers date back to the 1940s; the U.S. military's Electrical Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC) was an early example. (1)<br /> <br /> Over the years, computers became more size-efficient, requiring less physical space. In the 1990s, microcomputers drastically reduced the amount of space needed for IT operations. Microcomputers that began filling old mainframe computer rooms became known as “servers.” The rooms became known as “data centers.”<br /> <br /> The advent of cloud computing in the early 2000s significantly disrupted the traditional data center landscape. Cloud services allowed organizations to access computing resources on-demand, over the internet, with pay-per-use pricing—enabling the flexibility to scale up or down as needed. In 2006, Google launched the first hyperscale data center in The Dalles, Oregon. This facility by 2025 occupied 1.3 million square feet of space and employed a staff of approximately 200 data center operators. <br /> <br /> A study from McKinsey &amp; Company projects the industry to grow at 10% a year through 2030, with global spending on the construction of new facilities reaching 49 billion U.S. dollars. (2)<br /> <br /> There are different types of data center facilities. A single company might use more than one type, depending on workloads and business needs.<br /> <br /> This Enterprise Data Center hosts all IT infrastructure and data on-premises. This model provides have more control over information security and can more easily comply with regulations like the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the US Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The company is responsible for all use, monitoring and management tasks.<br /> <br /> Cloud data centers (also called cloud computing data centers) house IT infrastructure for shared use by multiple customers—from scores to millions—through an internet connection. Many of the largest cloud data centers—called hyperscale data centers—are run by major cloud service providers (CSPs), including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform, IBM Cloud and Microsoft Azure. These companies have major data centers in every region of the world. For example, IBM operates over 60 IBM Cloud Data Centers in various locations around the world.<br /> <br /> Hyperscale data centers are larger than traditional data centers and can cover millions of square feet. They typically contain at least 5,000 servers and miles of connection equipment. They can sometimes be as large as 60,000 square feet.<br /> <br /> Cloud service providers typically maintain smaller, edge data centers (EDCs) located closer to cloud customers (and cloud customers’ customers). Edge data centers form the foundation for edge computing, a distributed computing framework that brings applications closer to end users. Edge data centers are ideal for real-time, data-intensive workloads like big data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and content delivery. They help minimize latency, the time it takes for data to travel from one point to another, improving the application performance and customer experience. (3)<br /> <br /> Clean Energy Group hosted a webinar on the hazards of rapid data center development and what community groups can do to mitigate harmful data center proposals. KD Minor from the Alliance for Affordable Energy in Louisiana, Julie Bolthouse from the Piedmont Environmental Council in Virginia, and Matthew Shorraw from Physicians for Social Responsibility in Pennsylvania discussed strategies and case studies from their respective states and provided crucial information on how and where to push back.<br /> <br /> '''What Problems Have Been Associated with Data Centers?''' The main takeaways from the discussion were summarized in three points: 1) data center energy use is increasing pollution from fossil fuel power plants, 2) data center development is raising utility bills from power plants and transmission, and 3) data centers use massive amounts of water.<br /> <br /> In Louisiana, the development of a Meta hyperscale data center called “Hyperion” led the local utility to propose three new natural gas power plants. These plans were then expedited by the Louisiana Public Service Commission, skipping the typical proposal review process. The increased gas capacity will be used to meet up to 5 gigawatts (GW) of energy demand from Hyperion, which is twice the amount of electricity used by the entire city of New Orleans on a hot summer day.<br /> <br /> In Virginia, data centers are the main driver behind 28 GW of predicted load growth by 2050. In addition to new baseload gas plants proposed in the region, data centers generally have backup diesel generators on site. In Virginia alone, 9,000 diesel generators spewing harmful pollutants into the air are being used as backup power for data centers.<br /> <br /> Pennsylvania leads the regional grid in energy exports, supplying electricity to data centers both in Pennsylvania and other states in the PJM region. The state’s energy portfolio is dominated by natural gas, with renewable energy only representing 4 percent of generation. Recent initiatives enacted by PJM and Pennsylvania continue to prioritize gas to meet data center-driven demand.<br /> <br /> The current electricity rate structure doesn’t reflect the new phenomenon of data center-driven load growth. Data centers often receive discounted energy and tax rates brokered through private negotiations and strong leverage and influence because of their size. The hopes of increasing jobs has been frequently used to get support for construction. The construction of data centers requires work because these are large construction projects, but that lasts a year or two; sometimes that labor is local and unionized, and sometimes that labor is trade professionals who come in from other states. Once the data center is up and running, it requires very few people, often just 20 to 50 staff members, because the building is not an office for software developers, product managers, or marketing experts. It is a warehouse of servers. (4)<br /> <br /> New transmission lines built to connect data centers to the massive amounts of energy they use are shared among all utility customers, leaving households and businesses with rising utility bills. In Virginia, transmission lines built for data centers cost $12 billion. New transmission lines can also jeopardize trails, riparian buffers, parks, and sometimes homes as utilities call on public and private rights-of-way and encourage the local governments to use their power of eminent domain.<br /> <br /> In Louisiana, Meta initially promised to pay 15 years of the capital costs of the new gas plants and some of the transmission upgrades necessary to power Hyperion. They later lowered their commitment to just four years, even though ratepayers will be paying back the costs of these investments for over 30 years.<br /> <br /> In Loudon County, Virginia, data centers make up 10 percent of all water use. Their demand spikes during the hottest months, when rivers are already running low. To cool the Hyperion hyperscale data center in Louisiana, Meta requested to withdraw a total of 5.6 million gallons of water every day from local sources. (5)<br /> <br /> Large data centers require significant energy to power their operations, leading to concerns about the large use of energy. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimated that electricity consumption from these data centers amounts to around 415 terawatt hours (TWh), about 1.5% of global electricity consumption in 2024, at a growth rate of 12% per year over the last five years. The IEA projects this amount could double to reach around 945 TWh by 2030, growing by around 15% per year. [11] In the U.S. alone, power consumption by data centers will be &quot;almost half of the growth in electricity demand between now and 2030.&quot; According to Terry Nguyen and Ben Green of the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition, a single data center can &quot;consume up to 2 megawatt hours (MWh),&quot; the same as &quot;the equivalent power consumption of a small town.&quot; This includes increased electricity costs.<br /> <br /> According to a study in the academic journal '''Npj Clean Water''', it was estimated that data centers consumed about 1.7 billion liters of water per day in 2021, with 57% drawn from potable supplies, noting that fewer than one-third of operators measured their water use. A 100-megawatt (MW) data center can use up to 2 million gallons daily. Evaporated water is not returned to the local water system. Water is also necessary to cool the power plants that provide electricity to data centers. Concerns over environmental impacts, energy and water use, and other costs have led to opposition to new data centers during the AI boom. These movements have been seen in parts of Europe, the U.S., and South America. The first report of '''Data Center Watch''' covered a period from May 2024 to March of 2025, where it was discovered that &quot;local opposition had blocked or delayed a total of $64 billion in data center projects (six projects were blocked entirely, while 10 were delayed).&quot; (6)<br /> <br /> '''Reaction to Data Center Construction''' [[File:datacentermap.png|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Data Center Moratoriums. Online: https://www.datacenterbans.com/]]<br /> <br /> <br /> Since early 2024, more than 1,200 public actions – including zoning fights, public campaigns and temporary moratoriums – have been logged by the '''Data Center Tracker,''' a public U.S. database of community responses to data center site selection. This momentum is leading to political action. In Maine, lawmakers passed a contested bill in spring 2026 that would have imposed the nation’s first statewide moratorium on new data centers. Gov. Janet Mills later vetoed the measure on grounds that it would scuttle a $550 million conversion of the closed Androscoggin Mill in the town of Jay into a data center. Mills said, however, she supported in principle a pause in development and signed separate legislation barring state tax incentives going to data centers. She also pledged to create a council to study the industry statewide. Up to 10 other states are considering similar measures to contain their expansion. (7) On July 14, 2026 Governor Kathy Hochul of New York State signed the first statewide moratorium on new hyperscale data centers. (8)<br /> <br /> '''Data Centers Development in Iowa.''' Tech leaders like Google, Facebook and Microsoft have invested billions in data centers in Iowa. Often cited as attractions Iowa offers these companies includes the state ranking #1 in the nation in wind energy as a percentage of total power output (AWEA, 2020), a stable power grid was in place, there was a high density of telecommunications infrastructure, the state ranked 18% lower construction costs than national average (NAI Global), and its rank of #2 in lowest cost of doing business in the country (Business Facilities, 2017) Iowa is in the &quot;Safe Zone&quot; for low earthquake and blackout risk in Iowa. (9)<br /> <br /> [[File:earthquakemap.png|400px|thumb|left|Low earthquake and blackout risk in Iowa. USGS Earthquake Hazard Program<br /> A map of the United States showing Iowa's earthquake and blackout risks, most of which exist to the south and west of the state of Iowa. Courtesy: Iowa Economic &amp; Finance Authority]]<br /> <br /> As of July 17, 2026 Dubuque County Supervisors remained skeptical. A study commissioned by the [[GREATER DUBUQUE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION]] employed an Arkansas consulting firm to evaluate the economic impact locally of a data center. The firm's numbers seemed high--a center with a $12 billion capital investment would create 400 permanent jobs, 1,000 construction jobs, generate $6.2 billion of economic impact for the county and just over $200 million in state and local taxes. These were considered a 'conservative' estimate according to Jason White, the president and CEO of GDDC. (10)<br /> <br /> A 2026 study of data center employment effects supported by the Brookings Institute found that data centers do create local jobs, with special considerations. (11) Counties that receive their first large data center see total private employment rise by 4%-5% over five to six years. Construction employment jumps 11%, and information sector employment—IT services, telecommunications, software—grows by 22%. Wages rise by 3%-4% for both existing workers and new hires, without a significant increase in home prices. In a typical county with 98,000 workers, these estimates imply roughly 2,000 to 4,000 additional jobs after six years, depending on facility type.<br /> <br /> The most policy-relevant finding is that the employment effects depend on facility type. We classify facilities into two types: hyperscale (built by cloud and AI companies—Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Meta—to run their own workloads) and colocation (built by data center landlords—Equinix, Digital Realty, CyrusOne—who lease space to remote tenants). This distinction, absent from prior research and current policy, turns out to be critical.<br /> <br /> Hyperscale counties see large information sector gains while colocation counties do not. A hyperscale campus creates demand for local fiber installers, network operations centers, managed service providers, and IT contractors, firms that set up nearby to serve the campus. A colocation facility leases space to remote tenants who may have no local operational presence. <br /> <br /> Importantly, the largest information sector gains don’t come from a single facility. Specifically, counties with a single data center see modest total employment effects but no significant information sector growth. However, counties with four or more facilities see an impressive 23% increase in information sector employment, indicating that the technology ecosystem that drives these gains takes time and scale to develop.<br /> <br /> Communities have legitimate concerns about energy costs, water use, and environmental impact, and those concerns deserve evidence-based answers of their own. But the labor market dimension of this debate has been conducted largely without data, and our findings suggest several things policymakers should know:<br /> <br /> * Data centers do create local jobs, though fewer than industry advocates claim. Naive estimates that fail to account for preexisting growth trends overstate the effect by a factor of three.<br /> <br /> * Not all data centers are equal. The technology ecosystem effects that distinguish data centers from warehouses are concentrated in hyperscale investment. Colocation facilities generate construction activity but not the IT agglomeration that makes data centers a distinctive economic development tool.<br /> <br /> * Clusters generate the largest effects. Single facilities produce modest employment gains. The information sector benefits require multiple facilities in the same area.<br /> <br /> * Workers see modest real gains. Wages rise 3%-4% for both existing workers and new hires, with no significant effect on home prices.<br /> <br /> * Incentives may be poorly targeted. Overall, state incentives are small relative to private investment. In hyperscale counties, incentives represent about 2% of total construction investment. Location decisions for these facilities are driven by power availability, land, and fiber infrastructure, not by tax breaks. In colocation counties, incentives represent a much larger share of total investment (62%), meaning subsidies may matter more for the facilities that generate the smallest employment benefits.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Source:<br /> <br /> 1. &quot;Data Center,&quot; Wikipedia<br /> <br /> 2. &quot;What is a Data Center?&quot; IBM, Online: https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/data-centers<br /> <br /> 3. Ibid.<br /> <br /> 4. Mineo, Liz, &quot;Why are Communities Pushing Back Against Data Centers?&quot; The Harvard Gazette, Online: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2026/04/why-are-communities-pushing-back-against-data-centers/<br /> <br /> 5. Morgan, Eva, &quot;Three of the Biggest Harms from Irresponsible Data Center Development—and What Communities Can Do to Fight Back,&quot; Online: https://www.cleanegroup.org/data-center-development/ November 20, 2025<br /> <br /> 6. &quot;Data Center''<br /> <br /> 7. Yue, Daniel and Yiyang, Zeng,&quot;Why Better‑off Cities and Towns See More Benefits From Data Centers Than Rural Regions &quot; theConversation.com Online: https://theconversation.com/why-better-off-cities-and-towns-see-more-benefits-from-data-centers-than-rural-regions-286750<br /> <br /> 8. &quot;First Statewide Moratorium on New Hyperscale Data Centers Launched by Governor Kathy Hochul,&quot; https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/first-statewide-moratorium-new-hyperscale-data-centers-launched-governor-kathy-hochul<br /> <br /> 9. &quot;Data Centers,&quot; Iowa Economic Development &amp; Finance Authority Online: https://opportunityiowa.gov/business/iowa-advantage/key-industries/finance-insurance/data-centers<br /> <br /> 10. Burwell, Grace, County Candidates Skeptical of Data Center Estimates,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', July 17, 2026, p. 1<br /> <br /> 11. Bahar, Dany and Greg Wright, &quot;New Evidence on Data Center Employment Effects,&quot; Brookings Institute, Online: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/new-evidence-on-data-center-employment-effects/<br /> <br /> Appendix 1`<br /> <br /> [[File:page1xyz.jpg|400px|thumb|right|Courtesy: Harvard Gazette]]<br /> <br /> [[File:page2xyz.jpg|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Harvard Gazette]]</div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=DATA_CENTERS&diff=187733 2026-07-19T19:40:30Z

<p>Randylyon: </p> <hr /> <div>[[File:datacenter.png|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Harvard Gazette]]DATA CENTERS. In 2026 Dubuque joined the national debate centered on whether to construct a data center. Interest / concern resulted in a questionnaire mailed to each household in the community asking for input before the city council and county supervisors made a decision. (Appendix 1)<br /> <br /> '''What is a Data Center?''' The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 defined a data center as &quot;any facility that primarily contains electronic equipment used to process, store, and transmit digital information.&quot; This includes &quot;a free-standing structure&quot; or &quot;a facility within a larger structure, that uses environmental control equipment to maintain the proper conditions for the operation of electronic equipment.&quot; According to IBM, data centers date back to the 1940s; the U.S. military's Electrical Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC) was an early example. (1)<br /> <br /> Over the years, computers became more size-efficient, requiring less physical space. In the 1990s, microcomputers drastically reduced the amount of space needed for IT operations. Microcomputers that began filling old mainframe computer rooms became known as “servers.” The rooms became known as “data centers.”<br /> <br /> The advent of cloud computing in the early 2000s significantly disrupted the traditional data center landscape. Cloud services allowed organizations to access computing resources on-demand, over the internet, with pay-per-use pricing—enabling the flexibility to scale up or down as needed. In 2006, Google launched the first hyperscale data center in The Dalles, Oregon. This facility by 2025 occupied 1.3 million square feet of space and employed a staff of approximately 200 data center operators. <br /> <br /> A study from McKinsey &amp; Company projects the industry to grow at 10% a year through 2030, with global spending on the construction of new facilities reaching 49 billion U.S. dollars. (2)<br /> <br /> There are different types of data center facilities. A single company might use more than one type, depending on workloads and business needs.<br /> <br /> This Enterprise Data Center hosts all IT infrastructure and data on-premises. This model provides have more control over information security and can more easily comply with regulations like the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the US Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The company is responsible for all use, monitoring and management tasks.<br /> <br /> Cloud data centers (also called cloud computing data centers) house IT infrastructure for shared use by multiple customers—from scores to millions—through an internet connection. Many of the largest cloud data centers—called hyperscale data centers—are run by major cloud service providers (CSPs), including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform, IBM Cloud and Microsoft Azure. These companies have major data centers in every region of the world. For example, IBM operates over 60 IBM Cloud Data Centers in various locations around the world.<br /> <br /> Hyperscale data centers are larger than traditional data centers and can cover millions of square feet. They typically contain at least 5,000 servers and miles of connection equipment. They can sometimes be as large as 60,000 square feet.<br /> <br /> Cloud service providers typically maintain smaller, edge data centers (EDCs) located closer to cloud customers (and cloud customers’ customers). Edge data centers form the foundation for edge computing, a distributed computing framework that brings applications closer to end users. Edge data centers are ideal for real-time, data-intensive workloads like big data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and content delivery. They help minimize latency, the time it takes for data to travel from one point to another, improving the application performance and customer experience. (3)<br /> <br /> Clean Energy Group hosted a webinar on the hazards of rapid data center development and what community groups can do to mitigate harmful data center proposals. KD Minor from the Alliance for Affordable Energy in Louisiana, Julie Bolthouse from the Piedmont Environmental Council in Virginia, and Matthew Shorraw from Physicians for Social Responsibility in Pennsylvania discussed strategies and case studies from their respective states and provided crucial information on how and where to push back.<br /> <br /> '''What Problems Have Been Associated with Data Centers?''' The main takeaways from the discussion were summarized in three points: 1) data center energy use is increasing pollution from fossil fuel power plants, 2) data center development is raising utility bills from power plants and transmission, and 3) data centers use massive amounts of water.<br /> <br /> In Louisiana, the development of a Meta hyperscale data center called “Hyperion” led the local utility to propose three new natural gas power plants. These plans were then expedited by the Louisiana Public Service Commission, skipping the typical proposal review process. The increased gas capacity will be used to meet up to 5 gigawatts (GW) of energy demand from Hyperion, which is twice the amount of electricity used by the entire city of New Orleans on a hot summer day.<br /> <br /> In Virginia, data centers are the main driver behind 28 GW of predicted load growth by 2050. In addition to new baseload gas plants proposed in the region, data centers generally have backup diesel generators on site. In Virginia alone, 9,000 diesel generators spewing harmful pollutants into the air are being used as backup power for data centers.<br /> <br /> Pennsylvania leads the regional grid in energy exports, supplying electricity to data centers both in Pennsylvania and other states in the PJM region. The state’s energy portfolio is dominated by natural gas, with renewable energy only representing 4 percent of generation. Recent initiatives enacted by PJM and Pennsylvania continue to prioritize gas to meet data center-driven demand.<br /> <br /> The current electricity rate structure doesn’t reflect the new phenomenon of data center-driven load growth. Data centers often receive discounted energy and tax rates brokered through private negotiations and strong leverage and influence because of their size. The hopes of increasing jobs has been frequently used to get support for construction. The construction of data centers requires work because these are large construction projects, but that lasts a year or two; sometimes that labor is local and unionized, and sometimes that labor is trade professionals who come in from other states. Once the data center is up and running, it requires very few people, often just 20 to 50 staff members, because the building is not an office for software developers, product managers, or marketing experts. It is a warehouse of servers. (4)<br /> <br /> New transmission lines built to connect data centers to the massive amounts of energy they use are shared among all utility customers, leaving households and businesses with rising utility bills. In Virginia, transmission lines built for data centers cost $12 billion. New transmission lines can also jeopardize trails, riparian buffers, parks, and sometimes homes as utilities call on public and private rights-of-way and utilize eminent domain.<br /> <br /> In Louisiana, Meta initially promised to pay 15 years of the capital costs of the new gas plants and some of the transmission upgrades necessary to power Hyperion. They later lowered their commitment to just four years, even though ratepayers will be paying back the costs of these investments for over 30 years.<br /> <br /> In Loudon County, Virginia, data centers make up 10 percent of all water use. Their demand spikes during the hottest months, when rivers are already running low. To cool the Hyperion hyperscale data center in Louisiana, Meta requested to withdraw a total of 5.6 million gallons of water every day from local sources. (5)<br /> <br /> Large data centers require significant energy to power their operations, leading to concerns about the large use of energy. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimated that electricity consumption from these data centers amounts to around 415 terawatt hours (TWh), about 1.5% of global electricity consumption in 2024, at a growth rate of 12% per year over the last five years. The IEA projects this amount could double to reach around 945 TWh by 2030, growing by around 15% per year. [11] In the U.S. alone, power consumption by data centers will be &quot;almost half of the growth in electricity demand between now and 2030.&quot; According to Terry Nguyen and Ben Green of the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition, a single data center can &quot;consume up to 2 megawatt hours (MWh),&quot; the same as &quot;the equivalent power consumption of a small town.&quot; This includes increased electricity costs.<br /> <br /> According to a study in the academic journal '''Npj Clean Water''', it was estimated that data centers consumed about 1.7 billion liters of water per day in 2021, with 57% drawn from potable supplies, noting that fewer than one-third of operators measured their water use. A 100-megawatt (MW) data center can use up to 2 million gallons daily. Evaporated water is not returned to the local water system. Water is also necessary to cool the power plants that provide electricity to data centers. Concerns over environmental impacts, energy and water use, and other costs have led to opposition to new data centers during the AI boom. These movements have been seen in parts of Europe, the U.S., and South America. The first report of '''Data Center Watch''' covered a period from May 2024 to March of 2025, where it was discovered that &quot;local opposition had blocked or delayed a total of $64 billion in data center projects (six projects were blocked entirely, while 10 were delayed).&quot; (6)<br /> <br /> '''Reaction to Data Center Construction''' [[File:datacentermap.png|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Data Center Moratoriums. Online: https://www.datacenterbans.com/]]<br /> <br /> <br /> Since early 2024, more than 1,200 public actions – including zoning fights, public campaigns and temporary moratoriums – have been logged by the '''Data Center Tracker,''' a public U.S. database of community responses to data center site selection. This momentum is leading to political action. In Maine, lawmakers passed a contested bill in spring 2026 that would have imposed the nation’s first statewide moratorium on new data centers. Gov. Janet Mills later vetoed the measure on grounds that it would scuttle a $550 million conversion of the closed Androscoggin Mill in the town of Jay into a data center. Mills said, however, she supported in principle a pause in development and signed separate legislation barring state tax incentives going to data centers. She also pledged to create a council to study the industry statewide. Up to 10 other states are considering similar measures to contain their expansion. (7) On July 14, 2026 Governor Kathy Hochul of New York State signed the first statewide moratorium on new hyperscale data centers. (8)<br /> <br /> '''Data Centers Development in Iowa.''' Tech leaders like Google, Facebook and Microsoft have invested billions in data centers in Iowa. Often cited as attractions Iowa offers these companies includes the state ranking 1 in the nation in wind energy as a percentage of total power output (AWEA, 2020), a stable poower grid, a high density of telecommunications infrastructure, the state ranking 18% lower construction costs than national average (NAI Global), and its rank of #2 in lowest cost of doing business in the country (Business Facilities, 2017) Iowa is in the &quot;Safe Zone&quot; for low earthquake and blackout risk in Iowa. (9)<br /> <br /> [[File:earthquakemap.png|400px|thumb|left|Low earthquake and blackout risk in Iowa. USGS Earthquake Hazard Program<br /> A map of the United States showing Iowa -based consultant of most earthquake and blackout risks, most of which exist in the south and west of the state of Iowa.Courtesy: Iowa Economic &amp; Finance Authority]]<br /> <br /> As of July 17, 2026 Dubuque County Supervisors remained skeptical. A study commissioned by the [[GREATER DUBUQUE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION]] employed an Arkansas consulting firm to evaluate the economic impact locally of a data center. The firm's numbers seemed high--a center with a $12 billion capital investment would create 400 permanent jobs, 1,000 construction jobs, generate $6.2 billion of economic impact for the county and just over $200 million in state and local taxes. These were considered a 'conservative' estimate according to Jason White, the president and CEO of GDDC. (10)<br /> <br /> A 2026 study of data center employment effects supported by the Brookings Institute found that data centers do create local jobs, with special considerations. (11) Counties that receive their first large data center see total private employment rise by 4%-5% over five to six years. Construction employment jumps 11%, and information sector employment—IT services, telecommunications, software—grows by 22%. Wages rise by 3%-4% for both existing workers and new hires, without a significant increase in home prices. At a typical treated county with 98,000 workers, these estimates imply roughly 2,000 to 4,000 additional jobs after six years, depending on facility type.<br /> <br /> The most policy-relevant finding is that the employment effects depend on facility type. We classify facilities into two types: hyperscale (built by cloud and AI companies—Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Meta—to run their own workloads) and colocation (built by data center landlords—Equinix, Digital Realty, CyrusOne—who lease space to remote tenants). This distinction, absent from prior research and current policy, turns out to be critical.<br /> <br /> Hyperscale counties see large information sector gains while colocation counties do not (Figure 2). A hyperscale campus creates demand for local fiber installers, network operations centers, managed service providers, and IT contractors, firms that set up nearby to serve the campus. A colocation facility leases space to remote tenants who may have no local operational presence. <br /> <br /> Importantly, the largest information sector gains don’t come from a single facility. Specifically, counties with a single data center see modest total employment effects but no significant information sector growth. However, counties with four or more facilities see an impressive 23% increase in information sector employment, indicating that the technology ecosystem that drives these gains takes time and scale to develop.<br /> Takeaways<br /> <br /> Communities have legitimate concerns about energy costs, water use, and environmental impact, and those concerns deserve evidence-based answers of their own. But the labor market dimension of this debate has been conducted largely without data, and our findings suggest several things policymakers should know:<br /> <br /> <br /> * Data centers do create local jobs, though fewer than industry advocates claim. Naive estimates that fail to account for preexisting growth trends overstate the effect by a factor of three.<br /> <br /> * Not all data centers are equal. The technology ecosystem effects that distinguish data centers from warehouses are concentrated in hyperscale investment. Colocation facilities generate construction activity but not the IT agglomeration that makes data centers a distinctive economic development tool.<br /> <br /> * Clusters generate the largest effects. Single facilities produce modest employment gains. The information sector benefits require multiple facilities in the same area.<br /> <br /> * Workers see modest real gains. Wages rise 3%-4% for both existing workers and new hires, with no significant effect on home prices.<br /> <br /> * Incentives may be poorly targeted. Overall, state incentives are small relative to private investment. In hyperscale counties, incentives represent about 2% of total construction investment. Location decisions for these facilities are driven by power availability, land, and fiber infrastructure, not by tax breaks. In colocation counties, incentives represent a much larger share of total investment (62%), meaning subsidies may matter more for precisely the facilities that generate the smallest employment benefits.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Source:<br /> <br /> 1. &quot;Data Center,&quot; Wikipedia<br /> <br /> 2. &quot;What is a Data Center?&quot; IBM, Online: https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/data-centers<br /> <br /> 3. Ibid.<br /> <br /> 4. Mineo, Liz, &quot;Why are Communities Pushing Back Against Data Centers?&quot; The Harvard Gazette, Online: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2026/04/why-are-communities-pushing-back-against-data-centers/<br /> <br /> 5. Morgan, Eva, &quot;Three of the Biggest Harms from Irresponsible Data Center Development—and What Communities Can Do to Fight Back,&quot; Online: https://www.cleanegroup.org/data-center-development/ November 20, 2025<br /> <br /> 6. &quot;Data Center''<br /> <br /> 7. Yue, Daniel and Yiyang, Zeng,&quot;Why Better‑off Cities and Towns See More Benefits From Data Centers Than Rural Regions &quot; theConversation.com Online: https://theconversation.com/why-better-off-cities-and-towns-see-more-benefits-from-data-centers-than-rural-regions-286750<br /> <br /> 8. &quot;First Statewide Moratorium on New Hyperscale Data Centers Launched by Governor Kathy Hochul,&quot; https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/first-statewide-moratorium-new-hyperscale-data-centers-launched-governor-kathy-hochul<br /> <br /> 9. &quot;Data Centers,&quot; Iowa Economic Development &amp; Finance Authority Online: https://opportunityiowa.gov/business/iowa-advantage/key-industries/finance-insurance/data-centers<br /> <br /> 10. Burwell, Grace, County Candidates Skeptical of Data Center Estimates,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', July 17, 2026, p. 1<br /> <br /> 11. Bahar, Dany and Greg Wright, &quot;New Evidence on Data Center Employment Effects,&quot; Brookings Institute, Online: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/new-evidence-on-data-center-employment-effects/<br /> <br /> Appendix 1`<br /> <br /> [[File:page1xyz.jpg|400px|thumb|right|Courtesy: Harvard Gazette]]<br /> <br /> [[File:page2xyz.jpg|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Harvard Gazette]]</div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=DATA_CENTERS&diff=187732 2026-07-19T19:39:55Z

<p>Randylyon: </p> <hr /> <div>[[File:datacenter.png|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Harvard Gazette]]DATA CENTERS. In 2026 Dubuque joined the national debate centered on whether to construct a data center. Interest / concern resulted in a questionnaire mailed to each household in the community asking for input before the city council and county supervisors made a decision. (Appendix 1)<br /> <br /> '''What is a Data Center?''' The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 defined a data center as &quot;any facility that primarily contains electronic equipment used to process, store, and transmit digital information.&quot; This includes &quot;a free-standing structure&quot; or &quot;a facility within a larger structure, that uses environmental control equipment to maintain the proper conditions for the operation of electronic equipment.&quot; According to IBM, data centers date back to the 1940s; the U.S. military's Electrical Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC) was an early example. (1)<br /> <br /> Over the years, computers became more size-efficient, requiring less physical space. In the 1990s, microcomputers drastically reduced the amount of space needed for IT operations. Microcomputers that began filling old mainframe computer rooms became known as “servers.” The rooms became known as “data centers.”<br /> <br /> The advent of cloud computing in the early 2000s significantly disrupted the traditional data center landscape. Cloud services allowed organizations to access computing resources on-demand, over the internet, with pay-per-use pricing—enabling the flexibility to scale up or down as needed. In 2006, Google launched the first hyperscale data center in The Dalles, Oregon. This facility by 2025 occupied 1.3 million square feet of space and employed a staff of approximately 200 data center operators. <br /> <br /> A study from McKinsey &amp; Company projects the industry to grow at 10% a year through 2030, with global spending on the construction of new facilities reaching 49 billion U.S. dollars. (2)<br /> <br /> There are different types of data center facilities. A single company might use more than one type, depending on workloads and business needs.<br /> <br /> This Enterprise Data Center hosts all IT infrastructure and data on-premises. This model provides have more control over information security and can more easily comply with regulations like the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the US Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The company is responsible for all use, monitoring and management tasks.<br /> <br /> Cloud data centers (also called cloud computing data centers) house IT infrastructure for shared use by multiple customers—from scores to millions—through an internet connection. Many of the largest cloud data centers—called hyperscale data centers—are run by major cloud service providers (CSPs), including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform, IBM Cloud and Microsoft Azure. These companies have major data centers in every region of the world. For example, IBM operates over 60 IBM Cloud Data Centers in various locations around the world.<br /> <br /> Hyperscale data centers are larger than traditional data centers and can cover millions of square feet. They typically contain at least 5,000 servers and miles of connection equipment. They can sometimes be as large as 60,000 square feet.<br /> <br /> Cloud service providers typically maintain smaller, edge data centers (EDCs) located closer to cloud customers (and cloud customers’ customers). Edge data centers form the foundation for edge computing, a distributed computing framework that brings applications closer to end users. Edge data centers are ideal for real-time, data-intensive workloads like big data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and content delivery. They help minimize latency, the time it takes for data to travel from one point to another, improving the application performance and customer experience. (3)<br /> <br /> Clean Energy Group hosted a webinar on the hazards of rapid data center development and what community groups can do to mitigate harmful data center proposals. KD Minor from the Alliance for Affordable Energy in Louisiana, Julie Bolthouse from the Piedmont Environmental Council in Virginia, and Matthew Shorraw from Physicians for Social Responsibility in Pennsylvania discussed strategies and case studies from their respective states and provided crucial information on how and where to push back.<br /> <br /> '''What Problems Have Been Associated with Data Centers?''' The main takeaways from the discussion were summarized in three points: 1) data center energy use is increasing pollution from fossil fuel power plants, 2) data center development is raising utility bills from power plants and transmission, and 3) data centers use massive amounts of water.<br /> <br /> In Louisiana, the development of a Meta hyperscale data center called “Hyperion” led the local utility to propose three new natural gas power plants. These plans were then expedited by the Louisiana Public Service Commission, skipping the typical proposal review process. The increased gas capacity will be used to meet up to 5 gigawatts (GW) of energy demand from Hyperion, which is twice the amount of electricity used by the entire city of New Orleans on a hot summer day.<br /> <br /> In Virginia, data centers are the main driver behind 28 GW of predicted load growth by 2050. In addition to new baseload gas plants proposed in the region, data centers generally have backup diesel generators on site. In Virginia alone, 9,000 diesel generators spewing harmful pollutants into the air are being used as backup power for data centers.<br /> <br /> Pennsylvania leads the regional grid in energy exports, supplying electricity to data centers both in Pennsylvania and other states in the PJM region. The state’s energy portfolio is dominated by natural gas, with renewable energy only representing 4 percent of generation. Recent initiatives enacted by PJM and Pennsylvania continue to prioritize gas to meet data center-driven demand.<br /> <br /> The current electricity rate structure doesn’t reflect the new phenomenon of data center-driven load growth. Data centers often receive discounted energy and tax rates brokered through private negotiations and strong leverage and influence because of their size. The hopes of increasing jobs has been frequently used to get support for construction. The construction of data centers requires work because these are large construction projects, but that lasts a year or two; sometimes that labor is local and unionized, and sometimes that labor is trade professionals who come in from other states. Once the data center is up and running, it requires very few people, often just 20 to 50 staff members, because the building is not an office for software developers, product managers, or marketing experts. It is a warehouse of servers. (4)<br /> <br /> New transmission lines built to connect data centers to the massive amounts of energy they use are shared among all utility customers, leaving households and businesses with rising utility bills. In Virginia, transmission lines built for data centers cost $12 billion. New transmission lines can also jeopardize trails, riparian buffers, parks, and sometimes homes as utilities call on public and private rights-of-way and utilize eminent domain.<br /> <br /> In Louisiana, Meta initially promised to pay 15 years of the capital costs of the new gas plants and some of the transmission upgrades necessary to power Hyperion. They later lowered their commitment to just four years, even though ratepayers will be paying back the costs of these investments for over 30 years.<br /> <br /> In Loudon County, Virginia, data centers make up 10 percent of all water use. Their demand spikes during the hottest months, when rivers are already running low. To cool the Hyperion hyperscale data center in Louisiana, Meta requested to withdraw a total of 5.6 million gallons of water every day from local sources. (5)<br /> <br /> Large data centers require significant energy to power their operations, leading to concerns about the large use of energy. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimated that electricity consumption from these data centers amounts to around 415 terawatt hours (TWh), about 1.5% of global electricity consumption in 2024, at a growth rate of 12% per year over the last five years. The IEA projects this amount could double to reach around 945 TWh by 2030, growing by around 15% per year. [11] In the U.S. alone, power consumption by data centers will be &quot;almost half of the growth in electricity demand between now and 2030.&quot; According to Terry Nguyen and Ben Green of the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition, a single data center can &quot;consume up to 2 megawatt hours (MWh),&quot; the same as &quot;the equivalent power consumption of a small town.&quot; This includes increased electricity costs.<br /> <br /> According to a study in the academic journal '''Npj Clean Water''', it was estimated that data centers consumed about 1.7 billion liters of water per day in 2021, with 57% drawn from potable supplies, noting that fewer than one-third of operators measured their water use. A 100-megawatt (MW) data center can use up to 2 million gallons daily. Evaporated water is not returned to the local water system. Water is also necessary to cool the power plants that provide electricity to data centers. Concerns over environmental impacts, energy and water use, and other costs have led to opposition to new data centers during the AI boom. These movements have been seen in parts of Europe, the U.S., and South America. The first report of '''Data Center Watch''' covered a period from May 2024 to March of 2025, where it was discovered that &quot;local opposition had blocked or delayed a total of $64 billion in data center projects (six projects were blocked entirely, while 10 were delayed).&quot; (6)<br /> <br /> '''Reaction to Data Center Construction''' [[File:datacentermap.png|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Data Center Moratoriums. Online: https://www.datacenterbans.com/]]<br /> <br /> <br /> Since early 2024, more than 1,200 public actions – including zoning fights, public campaigns and temporary moratoriums – have been logged by the '''Data Center Tracker,''' a public U.S. database of community responses to data center site selection. This momentum is leading to political action. In Maine, lawmakers passed a contested bill in spring 2026 that would have imposed the nation’s first statewide moratorium on new data centers. Gov. Janet Mills later vetoed the measure on grounds that it would scuttle a $550 million conversion of the closed Androscoggin Mill in the town of Jay into a data center. Mills said, however, she supported in principle a pause in development and signed separate legislation barring state tax incentives going to data centers. She also pledged to create a council to study the industry statewide. Up to 10 other states are considering similar measures to contain their expansion. (7) On July 14, 2026 Governor Kathy Hochul of New York State signed the first statewide moratorium on new hyperscale data centers. (8)<br /> <br /> '''Data Centers Development in Iowa.''' Tech leaders like Google, Facebook and Microsoft have invested billions in data centers in Iowa. Often cited as attractions Iowa offers these companies includes the state ranking 1 in the nation in wind energy as a percentage of total power output (AWEA, 2020), a stable poower grid, a high density of telecommunications infrastructure, the state ranking 18% lower construction costs than national average (NAI Global), and its rank of #2 in lowest cost of doing business in the country (Business Facilities, 2017) Iowa is in the &quot;Safe Zone&quot; for low earthquake and blackout risk in Iowa. (9)<br /> <br /> [[File:earthquakemap.png|400px|thumb|left|Low earthquake and blackout risk in Iowa. USGS Earthquake Hazard Program<br /> A map of the United States showing Iowa -based consultant of most earthquake and blackout risks, most of which exist in the south and west of the state of Iowa.Courtesy: Iowa Economic &amp; Finance Authority]]<br /> <br /> As of July 17, 2026 Dubuque County Supervisors remained skeptical. A study commissioned by the [[GREATER DUBUQUE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION]] employed an Arkansas consulting firm to evaluate the economic impact locally of a data center. The firm's numbers seemed high--a center with a $12 billion capital investment would create 400 permanent jobs, 1,000 construction jobs, generate $6.2 billion of economic impact for the county and just over $200 million in state and local taxes. These were considered a 'conservative' estimate according to Jason White, the president and CEO of GDDC. (10)<br /> <br /> A 2026 study of data center employment effects supported by the Brookings Institute found that data centers do create local jobs, with special considerations. (11) Counties that receive their first large data center see total private employment rise by 4%-5% over five to six years. Construction employment jumps 11%, and information sector employment—IT services, telecommunications, software—grows by 22%. Wages rise by 3%-4% for both existing workers and new hires, without a significant increase in home prices. At a typical treated county with 98,000 workers, these estimates imply roughly 2,000 to 4,000 additional jobs after six years, depending on facility type.<br /> <br /> The most policy-relevant finding is that the employment effects depend on facility type. We classify facilities into two types: hyperscale (built by cloud and AI companies—Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Meta—to run their own workloads) and colocation (built by data center landlords—Equinix, Digital Realty, CyrusOne—who lease space to remote tenants). This distinction, absent from prior research and current policy, turns out to be critical.<br /> <br /> Hyperscale counties see large information sector gains while colocation counties do not (Figure 2). A hyperscale campus creates demand for local fiber installers, network operations centers, managed service providers, and IT contractors, firms that set up nearby to serve the campus. A colocation facility leases space to remote tenants who may have no local operational presence. <br /> <br /> Importantly, the largest information sector gains don’t come from a single facility. Specifically, counties with a single data center see modest total employment effects but no significant information sector growth. However, counties with four or more facilities see an impressive 23% increase in information sector employment, indicating that the technology ecosystem that drives these gains takes time and scale to develop.<br /> Takeaways<br /> <br /> Communities have legitimate concerns about energy costs, water use, and environmental impact, and those concerns deserve evidence-based answers of their own. But the labor market dimension of this debate has been conducted largely without data, and our findings suggest several things policymakers should know:<br /> <br /> <br /> * Data centers do create local jobs, though fewer than industry advocates claim. Naive estimates that fail to account for preexisting growth trends overstate the effect by a factor of three.<br /> <br /> * Not all data centers are equal. The technology ecosystem effects that distinguish data centers from warehouses are concentrated in hyperscale investment. Colocation facilities generate construction activity but not the IT agglomeration that makes data centers a distinctive economic development tool.<br /> <br /> * Clusters generate the largest effects. Single facilities produce modest employment gains. The information sector benefits require multiple facilities in the same area.<br /> <br /> * Workers see modest real gains. Wages rise 3%-4% for both existing workers and new hires, with no significant effect on home prices.<br /> <br /> * Incentives may be poorly targeted. Overall, state incentives are small relative to private investment. In hyperscale counties, incentives represent about 2% of total construction investment. Location decisions for these facilities are driven by power availability, land, and fiber infrastructure, not by tax breaks. In colocation counties, incentives represent a much larger share of total investment (62%), meaning subsidies may matter more for precisely the facilities that generate the smallest employment benefits.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Source:<br /> <br /> 1. &quot;Data Center,&quot; Wikipedia<br /> <br /> 2. &quot;What is a Data Center?&quot; IBM, Online: https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/data-centers<br /> <br /> 3. Ibid.<br /> <br /> 4. Mineo, Liz, &quot;Why are Communities Pushing Back Against Data Centers?&quot; The Harvard Gazette, Online: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2026/04/why-are-communities-pushing-back-against-data-centers/<br /> <br /> 5. Morgan, Eva, &quot;Three of the Biggest Harms from Irresponsible Data Center Development—and What Communities Can Do to Fight Back,&quot; Online: https://www.cleanegroup.org/data-center-development/ November 20, 2025<br /> <br /> 6. &quot;Data Center''<br /> <br /> 7. Yue, Daniel and Yiyang, Zeng,&quot;Why Better‑off Cities and Towns See More Benefits From Data Centers Than Rural Regions &quot; theConversation.com Online: https://theconversation.com/why-better-off-cities-and-towns-see-more-benefits-from-data-centers-than-rural-regions-286750<br /> <br /> 8. &quot;First Statewide Moratorium on New Hyperscale Data Centers Launched by Governor Kathy Hochul,&quot; https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/first-statewide-moratorium-new-hyperscale-data-centers-launched-governor-kathy-hochul<br /> <br /> 9. &quot;Data Centers,&quot; Iowa Economic Development &amp; Finance Authority Online: https://opportunityiowa.gov/business/iowa-advantage/key-industries/finance-insurance/data-centers<br /> <br /> 10. Burwell, Grace, County Candidates Skeptical of Data Center Estimates,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', July 17, 2026, p. 1<br /> <br /> 11. Bahar, Dany and Greg Wright, &quot;New Evidence on Data Center Employment Effects,&quot; Brookings Institute, Online: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/new-evidence-on-data-center-employment-effects/<br /> <br /> Appendix 1`<br /> <br /> [[File:page1xyz.jpg|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Harvard Gazette]]<br /> <br /> [[File:page2xyz.jpg|400px|thumb|right|Courtesy: Harvard Gazette]]</div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=File:Page1xyz.jpg&diff=187731 2026-07-19T19:39:16Z

<p>Randylyon: </p> <hr /> <div></div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=File:Pagex1yz.jpg&diff=187730 2026-07-19T19:36:57Z

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Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=File:Page2xyz.jpg&diff=187729 2026-07-19T19:28:48Z

<p>Randylyon: </p> <hr /> <div></div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=File:Pagex1yzjpg.jpg&diff=187728 2026-07-19T01:25:58Z

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Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=DATA_CENTERS&diff=187727 2026-07-19T01:25:37Z

<p>Randylyon: </p> <hr /> <div>[[File:datacenter.png|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Harvard Gazette]]DATA CENTERS. In 2026 Dubuque joined the national debate centered on whether to construct a data center. Interest / concern resulted in a questionnaire mailed to each household in the community asking for input before the city council and county supervisors made a decision. (Appendix 1)<br /> <br /> '''What is a Data Center?''' The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 defined a data center as &quot;any facility that primarily contains electronic equipment used to process, store, and transmit digital information.&quot; This includes &quot;a free-standing structure&quot; or &quot;a facility within a larger structure, that uses environmental control equipment to maintain the proper conditions for the operation of electronic equipment.&quot; According to IBM, data centers date back to the 1940s; the U.S. military's Electrical Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC) was an early example. (1)<br /> <br /> Over the years, computers became more size-efficient, requiring less physical space. In the 1990s, microcomputers drastically reduced the amount of space needed for IT operations. Microcomputers that began filling old mainframe computer rooms became known as “servers.” The rooms became known as “data centers.”<br /> <br /> The advent of cloud computing in the early 2000s significantly disrupted the traditional data center landscape. Cloud services allowed organizations to access computing resources on-demand, over the internet, with pay-per-use pricing—enabling the flexibility to scale up or down as needed. In 2006, Google launched the first hyperscale data center in The Dalles, Oregon. This facility by 2025 occupied 1.3 million square feet of space and employed a staff of approximately 200 data center operators. <br /> <br /> A study from McKinsey &amp; Company projects the industry to grow at 10% a year through 2030, with global spending on the construction of new facilities reaching 49 billion U.S. dollars. (2)<br /> <br /> There are different types of data center facilities. A single company might use more than one type, depending on workloads and business needs.<br /> <br /> This Enterprise Data Center hosts all IT infrastructure and data on-premises. This model provides have more control over information security and can more easily comply with regulations like the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the US Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The company is responsible for all use, monitoring and management tasks.<br /> <br /> Cloud data centers (also called cloud computing data centers) house IT infrastructure for shared use by multiple customers—from scores to millions—through an internet connection. Many of the largest cloud data centers—called hyperscale data centers—are run by major cloud service providers (CSPs), including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform, IBM Cloud and Microsoft Azure. These companies have major data centers in every region of the world. For example, IBM operates over 60 IBM Cloud Data Centers in various locations around the world.<br /> <br /> Hyperscale data centers are larger than traditional data centers and can cover millions of square feet. They typically contain at least 5,000 servers and miles of connection equipment. They can sometimes be as large as 60,000 square feet.<br /> <br /> Cloud service providers typically maintain smaller, edge data centers (EDCs) located closer to cloud customers (and cloud customers’ customers). Edge data centers form the foundation for edge computing, a distributed computing framework that brings applications closer to end users. Edge data centers are ideal for real-time, data-intensive workloads like big data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and content delivery. They help minimize latency, the time it takes for data to travel from one point to another, improving the application performance and customer experience. (3)<br /> <br /> Clean Energy Group hosted a webinar on the hazards of rapid data center development and what community groups can do to mitigate harmful data center proposals. KD Minor from the Alliance for Affordable Energy in Louisiana, Julie Bolthouse from the Piedmont Environmental Council in Virginia, and Matthew Shorraw from Physicians for Social Responsibility in Pennsylvania discussed strategies and case studies from their respective states and provided crucial information on how and where to push back.<br /> <br /> '''What Problems Have Been Associated with Data Centers?''' The main takeaways from the discussion were summarized in three points: 1) data center energy use is increasing pollution from fossil fuel power plants, 2) data center development is raising utility bills from power plants and transmission, and 3) data centers use massive amounts of water.<br /> <br /> In Louisiana, the development of a Meta hyperscale data center called “Hyperion” led the local utility to propose three new natural gas power plants. These plans were then expedited by the Louisiana Public Service Commission, skipping the typical proposal review process. The increased gas capacity will be used to meet up to 5 gigawatts (GW) of energy demand from Hyperion, which is twice the amount of electricity used by the entire city of New Orleans on a hot summer day.<br /> <br /> In Virginia, data centers are the main driver behind 28 GW of predicted load growth by 2050. In addition to new baseload gas plants proposed in the region, data centers generally have backup diesel generators on site. In Virginia alone, 9,000 diesel generators spewing harmful pollutants into the air are being used as backup power for data centers.<br /> <br /> Pennsylvania leads the regional grid in energy exports, supplying electricity to data centers both in Pennsylvania and other states in the PJM region. The state’s energy portfolio is dominated by natural gas, with renewable energy only representing 4 percent of generation. Recent initiatives enacted by PJM and Pennsylvania continue to prioritize gas to meet data center-driven demand.<br /> <br /> The current electricity rate structure doesn’t reflect the new phenomenon of data center-driven load growth. Data centers often receive discounted energy and tax rates brokered through private negotiations and strong leverage and influence because of their size. The hopes of increasing jobs has been frequently used to get support for construction. The construction of data centers requires work because these are large construction projects, but that lasts a year or two; sometimes that labor is local and unionized, and sometimes that labor is trade professionals who come in from other states. Once the data center is up and running, it requires very few people, often just 20 to 50 staff members, because the building is not an office for software developers, product managers, or marketing experts. It is a warehouse of servers. (4)<br /> <br /> New transmission lines built to connect data centers to the massive amounts of energy they use are shared among all utility customers, leaving households and businesses with rising utility bills. In Virginia, transmission lines built for data centers cost $12 billion. New transmission lines can also jeopardize trails, riparian buffers, parks, and sometimes homes as utilities call on public and private rights-of-way and utilize eminent domain.<br /> <br /> In Louisiana, Meta initially promised to pay 15 years of the capital costs of the new gas plants and some of the transmission upgrades necessary to power Hyperion. They later lowered their commitment to just four years, even though ratepayers will be paying back the costs of these investments for over 30 years.<br /> <br /> In Loudon County, Virginia, data centers make up 10 percent of all water use. Their demand spikes during the hottest months, when rivers are already running low. To cool the Hyperion hyperscale data center in Louisiana, Meta requested to withdraw a total of 5.6 million gallons of water every day from local sources. (5)<br /> <br /> Large data centers require significant energy to power their operations, leading to concerns about the large use of energy. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimated that electricity consumption from these data centers amounts to around 415 terawatt hours (TWh), about 1.5% of global electricity consumption in 2024, at a growth rate of 12% per year over the last five years. The IEA projects this amount could double to reach around 945 TWh by 2030, growing by around 15% per year. [11] In the U.S. alone, power consumption by data centers will be &quot;almost half of the growth in electricity demand between now and 2030.&quot; According to Terry Nguyen and Ben Green of the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition, a single data center can &quot;consume up to 2 megawatt hours (MWh),&quot; the same as &quot;the equivalent power consumption of a small town.&quot; This includes increased electricity costs.<br /> <br /> According to a study in the academic journal '''Npj Clean Water''', it was estimated that data centers consumed about 1.7 billion liters of water per day in 2021, with 57% drawn from potable supplies, noting that fewer than one-third of operators measured their water use. A 100-megawatt (MW) data center can use up to 2 million gallons daily. Evaporated water is not returned to the local water system. Water is also necessary to cool the power plants that provide electricity to data centers. Concerns over environmental impacts, energy and water use, and other costs have led to opposition to new data centers during the AI boom. These movements have been seen in parts of Europe, the U.S., and South America. The first report of '''Data Center Watch''' covered a period from May 2024 to March of 2025, where it was discovered that &quot;local opposition had blocked or delayed a total of $64 billion in data center projects (six projects were blocked entirely, while 10 were delayed).&quot; (6)<br /> <br /> '''Reaction to Data Center Construction''' [[File:datacentermap.png|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Data Center Moratoriums. Online: https://www.datacenterbans.com/]]<br /> <br /> <br /> Since early 2024, more than 1,200 public actions – including zoning fights, public campaigns and temporary moratoriums – have been logged by the '''Data Center Tracker,''' a public U.S. database of community responses to data center site selection. This momentum is leading to political action. In Maine, lawmakers passed a contested bill in spring 2026 that would have imposed the nation’s first statewide moratorium on new data centers. Gov. Janet Mills later vetoed the measure on grounds that it would scuttle a $550 million conversion of the closed Androscoggin Mill in the town of Jay into a data center. Mills said, however, she supported in principle a pause in development and signed separate legislation barring state tax incentives going to data centers. She also pledged to create a council to study the industry statewide. Up to 10 other states are considering similar measures to contain their expansion. (7) On July 14, 2026 Governor Kathy Hochul of New York State signed the first statewide moratorium on new hyperscale data centers. (8)<br /> <br /> '''Data Centers Development in Iowa.''' Tech leaders like Google, Facebook and Microsoft have invested billions in data centers in Iowa. Often cited as attractions Iowa offers these companies includes the state ranking 1 in the nation in wind energy as a percentage of total power output (AWEA, 2020), a stable poower grid, a high density of telecommunications infrastructure, the state ranking 18% lower construction costs than national average (NAI Global), and its rank of #2 in lowest cost of doing business in the country (Business Facilities, 2017) Iowa is in the &quot;Safe Zone&quot; for low earthquake and blackout risk in Iowa. (9)<br /> <br /> [[File:earthquakemap.png|400px|thumb|left|Low earthquake and blackout risk in Iowa. USGS Earthquake Hazard Program<br /> A map of the United States showing Iowa -based consultant of most earthquake and blackout risks, most of which exist in the south and west of the state of Iowa.Courtesy: Iowa Economic &amp; Finance Authority]]<br /> <br /> As of July 17, 2026 Dubuque County Supervisors remained skeptical. A study commissioned by the [[GREATER DUBUQUE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION]] employed an Arkansas consulting firm to evaluate the economic impact locally of a data center. The firm's numbers seemed high--a center with a $12 billion capital investment would create 400 permanent jobs, 1,000 construction jobs, generate $6.2 billion of economic impact for the county and just over $200 million in state and local taxes. These were considered a 'conservative' estimate according to Jason White, the president and CEO of GDDC. (10)<br /> <br /> A 2026 study of data center employment effects supported by the Brookings Institute found that data centers do create local jobs, with special considerations. (11) Counties that receive their first large data center see total private employment rise by 4%-5% over five to six years. Construction employment jumps 11%, and information sector employment—IT services, telecommunications, software—grows by 22%. Wages rise by 3%-4% for both existing workers and new hires, without a significant increase in home prices. At a typical treated county with 98,000 workers, these estimates imply roughly 2,000 to 4,000 additional jobs after six years, depending on facility type.<br /> <br /> The most policy-relevant finding is that the employment effects depend on facility type. We classify facilities into two types: hyperscale (built by cloud and AI companies—Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Meta—to run their own workloads) and colocation (built by data center landlords—Equinix, Digital Realty, CyrusOne—who lease space to remote tenants). This distinction, absent from prior research and current policy, turns out to be critical.<br /> <br /> Hyperscale counties see large information sector gains while colocation counties do not (Figure 2). A hyperscale campus creates demand for local fiber installers, network operations centers, managed service providers, and IT contractors, firms that set up nearby to serve the campus. A colocation facility leases space to remote tenants who may have no local operational presence. <br /> <br /> Importantly, the largest information sector gains don’t come from a single facility. Specifically, counties with a single data center see modest total employment effects but no significant information sector growth. However, counties with four or more facilities see an impressive 23% increase in information sector employment, indicating that the technology ecosystem that drives these gains takes time and scale to develop.<br /> Takeaways<br /> <br /> Communities have legitimate concerns about energy costs, water use, and environmental impact, and those concerns deserve evidence-based answers of their own. But the labor market dimension of this debate has been conducted largely without data, and our findings suggest several things policymakers should know:<br /> <br /> <br /> * Data centers do create local jobs, though fewer than industry advocates claim. Naive estimates that fail to account for preexisting growth trends overstate the effect by a factor of three.<br /> <br /> * Not all data centers are equal. The technology ecosystem effects that distinguish data centers from warehouses are concentrated in hyperscale investment. Colocation facilities generate construction activity but not the IT agglomeration that makes data centers a distinctive economic development tool.<br /> <br /> * Clusters generate the largest effects. Single facilities produce modest employment gains. The information sector benefits require multiple facilities in the same area.<br /> <br /> * Workers see modest real gains. Wages rise 3%-4% for both existing workers and new hires, with no significant effect on home prices.<br /> <br /> * Incentives may be poorly targeted. Overall, state incentives are small relative to private investment. In hyperscale counties, incentives represent about 2% of total construction investment. Location decisions for these facilities are driven by power availability, land, and fiber infrastructure, not by tax breaks. In colocation counties, incentives represent a much larger share of total investment (62%), meaning subsidies may matter more for precisely the facilities that generate the smallest employment benefits.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Source:<br /> <br /> 1. &quot;Data Center,&quot; Wikipedia<br /> <br /> 2. &quot;What is a Data Center?&quot; IBM, Online: https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/data-centers<br /> <br /> 3. Ibid.<br /> <br /> 4. Mineo, Liz, &quot;Why are Communities Pushing Back Against Data Centers?&quot; The Harvard Gazette, Online: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2026/04/why-are-communities-pushing-back-against-data-centers/<br /> <br /> 5. Morgan, Eva, &quot;Three of the Biggest Harms from Irresponsible Data Center Development—and What Communities Can Do to Fight Back,&quot; Online: https://www.cleanegroup.org/data-center-development/ November 20, 2025<br /> <br /> 6. &quot;Data Center''<br /> <br /> 7. Yue, Daniel and Yiyang, Zeng,&quot;Why Better‑off Cities and Towns See More Benefits From Data Centers Than Rural Regions &quot; theConversation.com Online: https://theconversation.com/why-better-off-cities-and-towns-see-more-benefits-from-data-centers-than-rural-regions-286750<br /> <br /> 8. &quot;First Statewide Moratorium on New Hyperscale Data Centers Launched by Governor Kathy Hochul,&quot; https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/first-statewide-moratorium-new-hyperscale-data-centers-launched-governor-kathy-hochul<br /> <br /> 9. &quot;Data Centers,&quot; Iowa Economic Development &amp; Finance Authority Online: https://opportunityiowa.gov/business/iowa-advantage/key-industries/finance-insurance/data-centers<br /> <br /> 10. Burwell, Grace, County Candidates Skeptical of Data Center Estimates,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', July 17, 2026, p. 1<br /> <br /> 11. Bahar, Dany and Greg Wright, &quot;New Evidence on Data Center Employment Effects,&quot; Brookings Institute, Online: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/new-evidence-on-data-center-employment-effects/<br /> <br /> Appendix 1`<br /> <br /> [[File:page1xyz.jpg|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Harvard Gazette]]<br /> <br /> [[File:page2xyz.jpg|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Harvard Gazette]]</div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=DATA_CENTERS&diff=187726 2026-07-19T01:23:48Z

<p>Randylyon: </p> <hr /> <div>[[File:datacenter.png|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Harvard Gazette]]DATA CENTERS. In 2026 Dubuque joined the national debate centered on whether to construct a data center. Interest / concern resulted in a questionnaire mailed to each household in the community asking for input before the city council and county supervisors made a decision. (Appendix 1)<br /> <br /> '''What is a Data Center?''' The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 defined a data center as &quot;any facility that primarily contains electronic equipment used to process, store, and transmit digital information.&quot; This includes &quot;a free-standing structure&quot; or &quot;a facility within a larger structure, that uses environmental control equipment to maintain the proper conditions for the operation of electronic equipment.&quot; According to IBM, data centers date back to the 1940s; the U.S. military's Electrical Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC) was an early example. (1)<br /> <br /> Over the years, computers became more size-efficient, requiring less physical space. In the 1990s, microcomputers drastically reduced the amount of space needed for IT operations. Microcomputers that began filling old mainframe computer rooms became known as “servers.” The rooms became known as “data centers.”<br /> <br /> The advent of cloud computing in the early 2000s significantly disrupted the traditional data center landscape. Cloud services allowed organizations to access computing resources on-demand, over the internet, with pay-per-use pricing—enabling the flexibility to scale up or down as needed. In 2006, Google launched the first hyperscale data center in The Dalles, Oregon. This facility by 2025 occupied 1.3 million square feet of space and employed a staff of approximately 200 data center operators. <br /> <br /> A study from McKinsey &amp; Company projects the industry to grow at 10% a year through 2030, with global spending on the construction of new facilities reaching 49 billion U.S. dollars. (2)<br /> <br /> There are different types of data center facilities. A single company might use more than one type, depending on workloads and business needs.<br /> <br /> This Enterprise Data Center hosts all IT infrastructure and data on-premises. This model provides have more control over information security and can more easily comply with regulations like the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the US Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The company is responsible for all use, monitoring and management tasks.<br /> <br /> Cloud data centers (also called cloud computing data centers) house IT infrastructure for shared use by multiple customers—from scores to millions—through an internet connection. Many of the largest cloud data centers—called hyperscale data centers—are run by major cloud service providers (CSPs), including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform, IBM Cloud and Microsoft Azure. These companies have major data centers in every region of the world. For example, IBM operates over 60 IBM Cloud Data Centers in various locations around the world.<br /> <br /> Hyperscale data centers are larger than traditional data centers and can cover millions of square feet. They typically contain at least 5,000 servers and miles of connection equipment. They can sometimes be as large as 60,000 square feet.<br /> <br /> Cloud service providers typically maintain smaller, edge data centers (EDCs) located closer to cloud customers (and cloud customers’ customers). Edge data centers form the foundation for edge computing, a distributed computing framework that brings applications closer to end users. Edge data centers are ideal for real-time, data-intensive workloads like big data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and content delivery. They help minimize latency, the time it takes for data to travel from one point to another, improving the application performance and customer experience. (3)<br /> <br /> Clean Energy Group hosted a webinar on the hazards of rapid data center development and what community groups can do to mitigate harmful data center proposals. KD Minor from the Alliance for Affordable Energy in Louisiana, Julie Bolthouse from the Piedmont Environmental Council in Virginia, and Matthew Shorraw from Physicians for Social Responsibility in Pennsylvania discussed strategies and case studies from their respective states and provided crucial information on how and where to push back.<br /> <br /> '''What Problems Have Been Associated with Data Centers?''' The main takeaways from the discussion were summarized in three points: 1) data center energy use is increasing pollution from fossil fuel power plants, 2) data center development is raising utility bills from power plants and transmission, and 3) data centers use massive amounts of water.<br /> <br /> In Louisiana, the development of a Meta hyperscale data center called “Hyperion” led the local utility to propose three new natural gas power plants. These plans were then expedited by the Louisiana Public Service Commission, skipping the typical proposal review process. The increased gas capacity will be used to meet up to 5 gigawatts (GW) of energy demand from Hyperion, which is twice the amount of electricity used by the entire city of New Orleans on a hot summer day.<br /> <br /> In Virginia, data centers are the main driver behind 28 GW of predicted load growth by 2050. In addition to new baseload gas plants proposed in the region, data centers generally have backup diesel generators on site. In Virginia alone, 9,000 diesel generators spewing harmful pollutants into the air are being used as backup power for data centers.<br /> <br /> Pennsylvania leads the regional grid in energy exports, supplying electricity to data centers both in Pennsylvania and other states in the PJM region. The state’s energy portfolio is dominated by natural gas, with renewable energy only representing 4 percent of generation. Recent initiatives enacted by PJM and Pennsylvania continue to prioritize gas to meet data center-driven demand.<br /> <br /> The current electricity rate structure doesn’t reflect the new phenomenon of data center-driven load growth. Data centers often receive discounted energy and tax rates brokered through private negotiations and strong leverage and influence because of their size. The hopes of increasing jobs has been frequently used to get support for construction. The construction of data centers requires work because these are large construction projects, but that lasts a year or two; sometimes that labor is local and unionized, and sometimes that labor is trade professionals who come in from other states. Once the data center is up and running, it requires very few people, often just 20 to 50 staff members, because the building is not an office for software developers, product managers, or marketing experts. It is a warehouse of servers. (4)<br /> <br /> New transmission lines built to connect data centers to the massive amounts of energy they use are shared among all utility customers, leaving households and businesses with rising utility bills. In Virginia, transmission lines built for data centers cost $12 billion. New transmission lines can also jeopardize trails, riparian buffers, parks, and sometimes homes as utilities call on public and private rights-of-way and utilize eminent domain.<br /> <br /> In Louisiana, Meta initially promised to pay 15 years of the capital costs of the new gas plants and some of the transmission upgrades necessary to power Hyperion. They later lowered their commitment to just four years, even though ratepayers will be paying back the costs of these investments for over 30 years.<br /> <br /> In Loudon County, Virginia, data centers make up 10 percent of all water use. Their demand spikes during the hottest months, when rivers are already running low. To cool the Hyperion hyperscale data center in Louisiana, Meta requested to withdraw a total of 5.6 million gallons of water every day from local sources. (5)<br /> <br /> Large data centers require significant energy to power their operations, leading to concerns about the large use of energy. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimated that electricity consumption from these data centers amounts to around 415 terawatt hours (TWh), about 1.5% of global electricity consumption in 2024, at a growth rate of 12% per year over the last five years. The IEA projects this amount could double to reach around 945 TWh by 2030, growing by around 15% per year. [11] In the U.S. alone, power consumption by data centers will be &quot;almost half of the growth in electricity demand between now and 2030.&quot; According to Terry Nguyen and Ben Green of the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition, a single data center can &quot;consume up to 2 megawatt hours (MWh),&quot; the same as &quot;the equivalent power consumption of a small town.&quot; This includes increased electricity costs.<br /> <br /> According to a study in the academic journal '''Npj Clean Water''', it was estimated that data centers consumed about 1.7 billion liters of water per day in 2021, with 57% drawn from potable supplies, noting that fewer than one-third of operators measured their water use. A 100-megawatt (MW) data center can use up to 2 million gallons daily. Evaporated water is not returned to the local water system. Water is also necessary to cool the power plants that provide electricity to data centers. Concerns over environmental impacts, energy and water use, and other costs have led to opposition to new data centers during the AI boom. These movements have been seen in parts of Europe, the U.S., and South America. The first report of '''Data Center Watch''' covered a period from May 2024 to March of 2025, where it was discovered that &quot;local opposition had blocked or delayed a total of $64 billion in data center projects (six projects were blocked entirely, while 10 were delayed).&quot; (6)<br /> <br /> '''Reaction to Data Center Construction''' [[File:datacentermap.png|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Data Center Moratoriums. Online: https://www.datacenterbans.com/]]<br /> <br /> <br /> Since early 2024, more than 1,200 public actions – including zoning fights, public campaigns and temporary moratoriums – have been logged by the '''Data Center Tracker,''' a public U.S. database of community responses to data center site selection. This momentum is leading to political action. In Maine, lawmakers passed a contested bill in spring 2026 that would have imposed the nation’s first statewide moratorium on new data centers. Gov. Janet Mills later vetoed the measure on grounds that it would scuttle a $550 million conversion of the closed Androscoggin Mill in the town of Jay into a data center. Mills said, however, she supported in principle a pause in development and signed separate legislation barring state tax incentives going to data centers. She also pledged to create a council to study the industry statewide. Up to 10 other states are considering similar measures to contain their expansion. (7) On July 14, 2026 Governor Kathy Hochul of New York State signed the first statewide moratorium on new hyperscale data centers. (8)<br /> <br /> '''Data Centers Development in Iowa.''' Tech leaders like Google, Facebook and Microsoft have invested billions in data centers in Iowa. Often cited as attractions Iowa offers these companies includes the state ranking 1 in the nation in wind energy as a percentage of total power output (AWEA, 2020), a stable poower grid, a high density of telecommunications infrastructure, the state ranking 18% lower construction costs than national average (NAI Global), and its rank of #2 in lowest cost of doing business in the country (Business Facilities, 2017) Iowa is in the &quot;Safe Zone&quot; for low earthquake and blackout risk in Iowa. (9)<br /> <br /> [[File:earthquakemap.png|400px|thumb|left|Low earthquake and blackout risk in Iowa. USGS Earthquake Hazard Program<br /> A map of the United States showing Iowa -based consultant of most earthquake and blackout risks, most of which exist in the south and west of the state of Iowa.Courtesy: Iowa Economic &amp; Finance Authority]]<br /> <br /> As of July 17, 2026 Dubuque County Supervisors remained skeptical. A study commissioned by the [[GREATER DUBUQUE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION]] employed an Arkansas consulting firm to evaluate the economic impact locally of a data center. The firm's numbers seemed high--a center with a $12 billion capital investment would create 400 permanent jobs, 1,000 construction jobs, generate $6.2 billion of economic impact for the county and just over $200 million in state and local taxes. These were considered a 'conservative' estimate according to Jason White, the president and CEO of GDDC. (10)<br /> <br /> A 2026 study of data center employment effects supported by the Brookings Institute found that data centers do create local jobs, with special considerations. (11) Counties that receive their first large data center see total private employment rise by 4%-5% over five to six years. Construction employment jumps 11%, and information sector employment—IT services, telecommunications, software—grows by 22%. Wages rise by 3%-4% for both existing workers and new hires, without a significant increase in home prices. At a typical treated county with 98,000 workers, these estimates imply roughly 2,000 to 4,000 additional jobs after six years, depending on facility type.<br /> <br /> The most policy-relevant finding is that the employment effects depend on facility type. We classify facilities into two types: hyperscale (built by cloud and AI companies—Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Meta—to run their own workloads) and colocation (built by data center landlords—Equinix, Digital Realty, CyrusOne—who lease space to remote tenants). This distinction, absent from prior research and current policy, turns out to be critical.<br /> <br /> Hyperscale counties see large information sector gains while colocation counties do not (Figure 2). A hyperscale campus creates demand for local fiber installers, network operations centers, managed service providers, and IT contractors, firms that set up nearby to serve the campus. A colocation facility leases space to remote tenants who may have no local operational presence. <br /> <br /> Importantly, the largest information sector gains don’t come from a single facility. Specifically, counties with a single data center see modest total employment effects but no significant information sector growth. However, counties with four or more facilities see an impressive 23% increase in information sector employment, indicating that the technology ecosystem that drives these gains takes time and scale to develop.<br /> Takeaways<br /> <br /> Communities have legitimate concerns about energy costs, water use, and environmental impact, and those concerns deserve evidence-based answers of their own. But the labor market dimension of this debate has been conducted largely without data, and our findings suggest several things policymakers should know:<br /> <br /> <br /> * Data centers do create local jobs, though fewer than industry advocates claim. Naive estimates that fail to account for preexisting growth trends overstate the effect by a factor of three.<br /> <br /> * Not all data centers are equal. The technology ecosystem effects that distinguish data centers from warehouses are concentrated in hyperscale investment. Colocation facilities generate construction activity but not the IT agglomeration that makes data centers a distinctive economic development tool.<br /> <br /> * Clusters generate the largest effects. Single facilities produce modest employment gains. The information sector benefits require multiple facilities in the same area.<br /> <br /> * Workers see modest real gains. Wages rise 3%-4% for both existing workers and new hires, with no significant effect on home prices.<br /> <br /> * Incentives may be poorly targeted. Overall, state incentives are small relative to private investment. In hyperscale counties, incentives represent about 2% of total construction investment. Location decisions for these facilities are driven by power availability, land, and fiber infrastructure, not by tax breaks. In colocation counties, incentives represent a much larger share of total investment (62%), meaning subsidies may matter more for precisely the facilities that generate the smallest employment benefits.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Source:<br /> <br /> 1. &quot;Data Center,&quot; Wikipedia<br /> <br /> 2. &quot;What is a Data Center?&quot; IBM, Online: https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/data-centers<br /> <br /> 3. Ibid.<br /> <br /> 4. Mineo, Liz, &quot;Why are Communities Pushing Back Against Data Centers?&quot; The Harvard Gazette, Online: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2026/04/why-are-communities-pushing-back-against-data-centers/<br /> <br /> 5. Morgan, Eva, &quot;Three of the Biggest Harms from Irresponsible Data Center Development—and What Communities Can Do to Fight Back,&quot; Online: https://www.cleanegroup.org/data-center-development/ November 20, 2025<br /> <br /> 6. &quot;Data Center''<br /> <br /> 7. Yue, Daniel and Yiyang, Zeng,&quot;Why Better‑off Cities and Towns See More Benefits From Data Centers Than Rural Regions &quot; theConversation.com Online: https://theconversation.com/why-better-off-cities-and-towns-see-more-benefits-from-data-centers-than-rural-regions-286750<br /> <br /> 8. &quot;First Statewide Moratorium on New Hyperscale Data Centers Launched by Governor Kathy Hochul,&quot; https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/first-statewide-moratorium-new-hyperscale-data-centers-launched-governor-kathy-hochul<br /> <br /> 9. &quot;Data Centers,&quot; Iowa Economic Development &amp; Finance Authority Online: https://opportunityiowa.gov/business/iowa-advantage/key-industries/finance-insurance/data-centers<br /> <br /> 10. Burwell, Grace, County Candidates Skeptical of Data Center Estimates,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', July 17, 2026, p. 1<br /> <br /> 11. Bahar, Dany and Greg Wright, &quot;New Evidence on Data Center Employment Effects,&quot; Brookings Institute, Online: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/new-evidence-on-data-center-employment-effects/<br /> <br /> Appendix 1`<br /> <br /> [[File:page1.jpg|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Harvard Gazette]]<br /> <br /> [[File:page2.jpg|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Harvard Gazette]]</div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=DATA_CENTERS&diff=187725 2026-07-19T01:20:12Z

<p>Randylyon: </p> <hr /> <div>[[File:datacenter.png|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Harvard Gazette]]DATA CENTERS. In 2026 Dubuque joined the national debate centered on whether to construct a data center. Interest / concern resulted in a questionnaire mailed to each household in the community asking for input before the city council and county supervisors made a decision. <br /> <br /> '''What is a Data Center?''' The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 defined a data center as &quot;any facility that primarily contains electronic equipment used to process, store, and transmit digital information.&quot; This includes &quot;a free-standing structure&quot; or &quot;a facility within a larger structure, that uses environmental control equipment to maintain the proper conditions for the operation of electronic equipment.&quot; According to IBM, data centers date back to the 1940s; the U.S. military's Electrical Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC) was an early example. (1)<br /> <br /> Over the years, computers became more size-efficient, requiring less physical space. In the 1990s, microcomputers drastically reduced the amount of space needed for IT operations. Microcomputers that began filling old mainframe computer rooms became known as “servers.” The rooms became known as “data centers.”<br /> <br /> The advent of cloud computing in the early 2000s significantly disrupted the traditional data center landscape. Cloud services allowed organizations to access computing resources on-demand, over the internet, with pay-per-use pricing—enabling the flexibility to scale up or down as needed. In 2006, Google launched the first hyperscale data center in The Dalles, Oregon. This facility by 2025 occupied 1.3 million square feet of space and employed a staff of approximately 200 data center operators. <br /> <br /> A study from McKinsey &amp; Company projects the industry to grow at 10% a year through 2030, with global spending on the construction of new facilities reaching 49 billion U.S. dollars. (2)<br /> <br /> There are different types of data center facilities. A single company might use more than one type, depending on workloads and business needs.<br /> <br /> This Enterprise Data Center hosts all IT infrastructure and data on-premises. This model provides have more control over information security and can more easily comply with regulations like the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the US Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The company is responsible for all use, monitoring and management tasks.<br /> <br /> Cloud data centers (also called cloud computing data centers) house IT infrastructure for shared use by multiple customers—from scores to millions—through an internet connection. Many of the largest cloud data centers—called hyperscale data centers—are run by major cloud service providers (CSPs), including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform, IBM Cloud and Microsoft Azure. These companies have major data centers in every region of the world. For example, IBM operates over 60 IBM Cloud Data Centers in various locations around the world.<br /> <br /> Hyperscale data centers are larger than traditional data centers and can cover millions of square feet. They typically contain at least 5,000 servers and miles of connection equipment. They can sometimes be as large as 60,000 square feet.<br /> <br /> Cloud service providers typically maintain smaller, edge data centers (EDCs) located closer to cloud customers (and cloud customers’ customers). Edge data centers form the foundation for edge computing, a distributed computing framework that brings applications closer to end users. Edge data centers are ideal for real-time, data-intensive workloads like big data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and content delivery. They help minimize latency, the time it takes for data to travel from one point to another, improving the application performance and customer experience. (3)<br /> <br /> Clean Energy Group hosted a webinar on the hazards of rapid data center development and what community groups can do to mitigate harmful data center proposals. KD Minor from the Alliance for Affordable Energy in Louisiana, Julie Bolthouse from the Piedmont Environmental Council in Virginia, and Matthew Shorraw from Physicians for Social Responsibility in Pennsylvania discussed strategies and case studies from their respective states and provided crucial information on how and where to push back.<br /> <br /> '''What Problems Have Been Associated with Data Centers?''' The main takeaways from the discussion were summarized in three points: 1) data center energy use is increasing pollution from fossil fuel power plants, 2) data center development is raising utility bills from power plants and transmission, and 3) data centers use massive amounts of water.<br /> <br /> In Louisiana, the development of a Meta hyperscale data center called “Hyperion” led the local utility to propose three new natural gas power plants. These plans were then expedited by the Louisiana Public Service Commission, skipping the typical proposal review process. The increased gas capacity will be used to meet up to 5 gigawatts (GW) of energy demand from Hyperion, which is twice the amount of electricity used by the entire city of New Orleans on a hot summer day.<br /> <br /> In Virginia, data centers are the main driver behind 28 GW of predicted load growth by 2050. In addition to new baseload gas plants proposed in the region, data centers generally have backup diesel generators on site. In Virginia alone, 9,000 diesel generators spewing harmful pollutants into the air are being used as backup power for data centers.<br /> <br /> Pennsylvania leads the regional grid in energy exports, supplying electricity to data centers both in Pennsylvania and other states in the PJM region. The state’s energy portfolio is dominated by natural gas, with renewable energy only representing 4 percent of generation. Recent initiatives enacted by PJM and Pennsylvania continue to prioritize gas to meet data center-driven demand.<br /> <br /> The current electricity rate structure doesn’t reflect the new phenomenon of data center-driven load growth. Data centers often receive discounted energy and tax rates brokered through private negotiations and strong leverage and influence because of their size. The hopes of increasing jobs has been frequently used to get support for construction. The construction of data centers requires work because these are large construction projects, but that lasts a year or two; sometimes that labor is local and unionized, and sometimes that labor is trade professionals who come in from other states. Once the data center is up and running, it requires very few people, often just 20 to 50 staff members, because the building is not an office for software developers, product managers, or marketing experts. It is a warehouse of servers. (4)<br /> <br /> New transmission lines built to connect data centers to the massive amounts of energy they use are shared among all utility customers, leaving households and businesses with rising utility bills. In Virginia, transmission lines built for data centers cost $12 billion. New transmission lines can also jeopardize trails, riparian buffers, parks, and sometimes homes as utilities call on public and private rights-of-way and utilize eminent domain.<br /> <br /> In Louisiana, Meta initially promised to pay 15 years of the capital costs of the new gas plants and some of the transmission upgrades necessary to power Hyperion. They later lowered their commitment to just four years, even though ratepayers will be paying back the costs of these investments for over 30 years.<br /> <br /> In Loudon County, Virginia, data centers make up 10 percent of all water use. Their demand spikes during the hottest months, when rivers are already running low. To cool the Hyperion hyperscale data center in Louisiana, Meta requested to withdraw a total of 5.6 million gallons of water every day from local sources. (5)<br /> <br /> Large data centers require significant energy to power their operations, leading to concerns about the large use of energy. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimated that electricity consumption from these data centers amounts to around 415 terawatt hours (TWh), about 1.5% of global electricity consumption in 2024, at a growth rate of 12% per year over the last five years. The IEA projects this amount could double to reach around 945 TWh by 2030, growing by around 15% per year. [11] In the U.S. alone, power consumption by data centers will be &quot;almost half of the growth in electricity demand between now and 2030.&quot; According to Terry Nguyen and Ben Green of the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition, a single data center can &quot;consume up to 2 megawatt hours (MWh),&quot; the same as &quot;the equivalent power consumption of a small town.&quot; This includes increased electricity costs.<br /> <br /> According to a study in the academic journal '''Npj Clean Water''', it was estimated that data centers consumed about 1.7 billion liters of water per day in 2021, with 57% drawn from potable supplies, noting that fewer than one-third of operators measured their water use. A 100-megawatt (MW) data center can use up to 2 million gallons daily. Evaporated water is not returned to the local water system. Water is also necessary to cool the power plants that provide electricity to data centers. Concerns over environmental impacts, energy and water use, and other costs have led to opposition to new data centers during the AI boom. These movements have been seen in parts of Europe, the U.S., and South America. The first report of '''Data Center Watch''' covered a period from May 2024 to March of 2025, where it was discovered that &quot;local opposition had blocked or delayed a total of $64 billion in data center projects (six projects were blocked entirely, while 10 were delayed).&quot; (6)<br /> <br /> '''Reaction to Data Center Construction''' [[File:datacentermap.png|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Data Center Moratoriums. Online: https://www.datacenterbans.com/]]<br /> <br /> <br /> Since early 2024, more than 1,200 public actions – including zoning fights, public campaigns and temporary moratoriums – have been logged by the '''Data Center Tracker,''' a public U.S. database of community responses to data center site selection. This momentum is leading to political action. In Maine, lawmakers passed a contested bill in spring 2026 that would have imposed the nation’s first statewide moratorium on new data centers. Gov. Janet Mills later vetoed the measure on grounds that it would scuttle a $550 million conversion of the closed Androscoggin Mill in the town of Jay into a data center. Mills said, however, she supported in principle a pause in development and signed separate legislation barring state tax incentives going to data centers. She also pledged to create a council to study the industry statewide. Up to 10 other states are considering similar measures to contain their expansion. (7) On July 14, 2026 Governor Kathy Hochul of New York State signed the first statewide moratorium on new hyperscale data centers. (8)<br /> <br /> '''Data Centers Development in Iowa.''' Tech leaders like Google, Facebook and Microsoft have invested billions in data centers in Iowa. Often cited as attractions Iowa offers these companies includes the state ranking 1 in the nation in wind energy as a percentage of total power output (AWEA, 2020), a stable poower grid, a high density of telecommunications infrastructure, the state ranking 18% lower construction costs than national average (NAI Global), and its rank of #2 in lowest cost of doing business in the country (Business Facilities, 2017) Iowa is in the &quot;Safe Zone&quot; for low earthquake and blackout risk in Iowa. (9)<br /> <br /> [[File:earthquakemap.png|400px|thumb|left|Low earthquake and blackout risk in Iowa. USGS Earthquake Hazard Program<br /> A map of the United States showing Iowa -based consultant of most earthquake and blackout risks, most of which exist in the south and west of the state of Iowa.Courtesy: Iowa Economic &amp; Finance Authority]]<br /> <br /> As of July 17, 2026 Dubuque County Supervisors remained skeptical. A study commissioned by the [[GREATER DUBUQUE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION]] employed an Arkansas consulting firm to evaluate the economic impact locally of a data center. The firm's numbers seemed high--a center with a $12 billion capital investment would create 400 permanent jobs, 1,000 construction jobs, generate $6.2 billion of economic impact for the county and just over $200 million in state and local taxes. These were considered a 'conservative' estimate according to Jason White, the president and CEO of GDDC. (10)<br /> <br /> A 2026 study of data center employment effects supported by the Brookings Institute found that data centers do create local jobs, with special considerations. (11) Counties that receive their first large data center see total private employment rise by 4%-5% over five to six years. Construction employment jumps 11%, and information sector employment—IT services, telecommunications, software—grows by 22%. Wages rise by 3%-4% for both existing workers and new hires, without a significant increase in home prices. At a typical treated county with 98,000 workers, these estimates imply roughly 2,000 to 4,000 additional jobs after six years, depending on facility type.<br /> <br /> The most policy-relevant finding is that the employment effects depend on facility type. We classify facilities into two types: hyperscale (built by cloud and AI companies—Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Meta—to run their own workloads) and colocation (built by data center landlords—Equinix, Digital Realty, CyrusOne—who lease space to remote tenants). This distinction, absent from prior research and current policy, turns out to be critical.<br /> <br /> Hyperscale counties see large information sector gains while colocation counties do not (Figure 2). A hyperscale campus creates demand for local fiber installers, network operations centers, managed service providers, and IT contractors, firms that set up nearby to serve the campus. A colocation facility leases space to remote tenants who may have no local operational presence. <br /> <br /> Importantly, the largest information sector gains don’t come from a single facility. Specifically, counties with a single data center see modest total employment effects but no significant information sector growth. However, counties with four or more facilities see an impressive 23% increase in information sector employment, indicating that the technology ecosystem that drives these gains takes time and scale to develop.<br /> Takeaways<br /> <br /> Communities have legitimate concerns about energy costs, water use, and environmental impact, and those concerns deserve evidence-based answers of their own. But the labor market dimension of this debate has been conducted largely without data, and our findings suggest several things policymakers should know:<br /> <br /> <br /> * Data centers do create local jobs, though fewer than industry advocates claim. Naive estimates that fail to account for preexisting growth trends overstate the effect by a factor of three.<br /> <br /> * Not all data centers are equal. The technology ecosystem effects that distinguish data centers from warehouses are concentrated in hyperscale investment. Colocation facilities generate construction activity but not the IT agglomeration that makes data centers a distinctive economic development tool.<br /> <br /> * Clusters generate the largest effects. Single facilities produce modest employment gains. The information sector benefits require multiple facilities in the same area.<br /> <br /> * Workers see modest real gains. Wages rise 3%-4% for both existing workers and new hires, with no significant effect on home prices.<br /> <br /> * Incentives may be poorly targeted. Overall, state incentives are small relative to private investment. In hyperscale counties, incentives represent about 2% of total construction investment. Location decisions for these facilities are driven by power availability, land, and fiber infrastructure, not by tax breaks. In colocation counties, incentives represent a much larger share of total investment (62%), meaning subsidies may matter more for precisely the facilities that generate the smallest employment benefits.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Source:<br /> <br /> 1. &quot;Data Center,&quot; Wikipedia<br /> <br /> 2. &quot;What is a Data Center?&quot; IBM, Online: https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/data-centers<br /> <br /> 3. Ibid.<br /> <br /> 4. Mineo, Liz, &quot;Why are Communities Pushing Back Against Data Centers?&quot; The Harvard Gazette, Online: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2026/04/why-are-communities-pushing-back-against-data-centers/<br /> <br /> 5. Morgan, Eva, &quot;Three of the Biggest Harms from Irresponsible Data Center Development—and What Communities Can Do to Fight Back,&quot; Online: https://www.cleanegroup.org/data-center-development/ November 20, 2025<br /> <br /> 6. &quot;Data Center''<br /> <br /> 7. Yue, Daniel and Yiyang, Zeng,&quot;Why Better‑off Cities and Towns See More Benefits From Data Centers Than Rural Regions &quot; theConversation.com Online: https://theconversation.com/why-better-off-cities-and-towns-see-more-benefits-from-data-centers-than-rural-regions-286750<br /> <br /> 8. &quot;First Statewide Moratorium on New Hyperscale Data Centers Launched by Governor Kathy Hochul,&quot; https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/first-statewide-moratorium-new-hyperscale-data-centers-launched-governor-kathy-hochul<br /> <br /> 9. &quot;Data Centers,&quot; Iowa Economic Development &amp; Finance Authority Online: https://opportunityiowa.gov/business/iowa-advantage/key-industries/finance-insurance/data-centers<br /> <br /> 10. Burwell, Grace, County Candidates Skeptical of Data Center Estimates,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', July 17, 2026, p. 1<br /> <br /> 11. Bahar, Dany and Greg Wright, &quot;New Evidence on Data Center Employment Effects,&quot; Brookings Institute, Online: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/new-evidence-on-data-center-employment-effects/</div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=DATA_CENTERS&diff=187724 2026-07-19T01:16:22Z

<p>Randylyon: </p> <hr /> <div>[[File:datacenter.png|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Harvard Gazette]]DATA CENTERS. In 2026 Dubuque joined the national debate centered on whether to construct a data center. Interest / concern resulted in a questionnaire mailed to each household in the community asking for input before the city council and county supervisors made a decision. <br /> <br /> '''What is a Data Center?''' The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 defined a data center as &quot;any facility that primarily contains electronic equipment used to process, store, and transmit digital information.&quot; This includes &quot;a free-standing structure&quot; or &quot;a facility within a larger structure, that uses environmental control equipment to maintain the proper conditions for the operation of electronic equipment.&quot; According to IBM, data centers date back to the 1940s; the U.S. military's Electrical Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC) was an early example. (1)<br /> <br /> Over the years, computers became more size-efficient, requiring less physical space. In the 1990s, microcomputers drastically reduced the amount of space needed for IT operations. Microcomputers that began filling old mainframe computer rooms became known as “servers.” The rooms became known as “data centers.”<br /> <br /> The advent of cloud computing in the early 2000s significantly disrupted the traditional data center landscape. Cloud services allowed organizations to access computing resources on-demand, over the internet, with pay-per-use pricing—enabling the flexibility to scale up or down as needed. In 2006, Google launched the first hyperscale data center in The Dalles, Oregon. This facility by 2025 occupied 1.3 million square feet of space and employed a staff of approximately 200 data center operators. <br /> <br /> A study from McKinsey &amp; Company projects the industry to grow at 10% a year through 2030, with global spending on the construction of new facilities reaching 49 billion U.S. dollars. (2)<br /> <br /> There are different types of data center facilities. A single company might use more than one type, depending on workloads and business needs.<br /> <br /> This Enterprise Data Center hosts all IT infrastructure and data on-premises. This model provides have more control over information security and can more easily comply with regulations like the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the US Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The company is responsible for all use, monitoring and management tasks.<br /> <br /> Cloud data centers (also called cloud computing data centers) house IT infrastructure for shared use by multiple customers—from scores to millions—through an internet connection. Many of the largest cloud data centers—called hyperscale data centers—are run by major cloud service providers (CSPs), including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform, IBM Cloud and Microsoft Azure. These companies have major data centers in every region of the world. For example, IBM operates over 60 IBM Cloud Data Centers in various locations around the world.<br /> <br /> Hyperscale data centers are larger than traditional data centers and can cover millions of square feet. They typically contain at least 5,000 servers and miles of connection equipment. They can sometimes be as large as 60,000 square feet.<br /> <br /> Cloud service providers typically maintain smaller, edge data centers (EDCs) located closer to cloud customers (and cloud customers’ customers). Edge data centers form the foundation for edge computing, a distributed computing framework that brings applications closer to end users. Edge data centers are ideal for real-time, data-intensive workloads like big data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and content delivery. They help minimize latency, the time it takes for data to travel from one point to another, improving the application performance and customer experience. (3)<br /> <br /> Clean Energy Group hosted a webinar on the hazards of rapid data center development and what community groups can do to mitigate harmful data center proposals. KD Minor from the Alliance for Affordable Energy in Louisiana, Julie Bolthouse from the Piedmont Environmental Council in Virginia, and Matthew Shorraw from Physicians for Social Responsibility in Pennsylvania discussed strategies and case studies from their respective states and provided crucial information on how and where to push back.<br /> <br /> '''What Problems Have Been Associated with Data Centers?''' The main takeaways from the discussion were summarized in three points: 1) data center energy use is increasing pollution from fossil fuel power plants, 2) data center development is raising utility bills from power plants and transmission, and 3) data centers use massive amounts of water.<br /> <br /> In Louisiana, the development of a Meta hyperscale data center called “Hyperion” led the local utility to propose three new natural gas power plants. These plans were then expedited by the Louisiana Public Service Commission, skipping the typical proposal review process. The increased gas capacity will be used to meet up to 5 gigawatts (GW) of energy demand from Hyperion, which is twice the amount of electricity used by the entire city of New Orleans on a hot summer day.<br /> <br /> In Virginia, data centers are the main driver behind 28 GW of predicted load growth by 2050. In addition to new baseload gas plants proposed in the region, data centers generally have backup diesel generators on site. In Virginia alone, 9,000 diesel generators spewing harmful pollutants into the air are being used as backup power for data centers.<br /> <br /> Pennsylvania leads the regional grid in energy exports, supplying electricity to data centers both in Pennsylvania and other states in the PJM region. The state’s energy portfolio is dominated by natural gas, with renewable energy only representing 4 percent of generation. Recent initiatives enacted by PJM and Pennsylvania continue to prioritize gas to meet data center-driven demand.<br /> <br /> The current electricity rate structure doesn’t reflect the new phenomenon of data center-driven load growth. Data centers often receive discounted energy and tax rates brokered through private negotiations and strong leverage and influence because of their size. The hopes of increasing jobs has been frequently used to get support for construction. The construction of data centers requires work because these are large construction projects, but that lasts a year or two; sometimes that labor is local and unionized, and sometimes that labor is trade professionals who come in from other states. Once the data center is up and running, it requires very few people, often just 20 to 50 staff members, because the building is not an office for software developers, product managers, or marketing experts. It is a warehouse of servers. (4)<br /> <br /> New transmission lines built to connect data centers to the massive amounts of energy they use are shared among all utility customers, leaving households and businesses with rising utility bills. In Virginia, transmission lines built for data centers cost $12 billion. New transmission lines can also jeopardize trails, riparian buffers, parks, and sometimes homes as utilities call on public and private rights-of-way and utilize eminent domain.<br /> <br /> In Louisiana, Meta initially promised to pay 15 years of the capital costs of the new gas plants and some of the transmission upgrades necessary to power Hyperion. They later lowered their commitment to just four years, even though ratepayers will be paying back the costs of these investments for over 30 years.<br /> <br /> In Loudon County, Virginia, data centers make up 10 percent of all water use. Their demand spikes during the hottest months, when rivers are already running low. To cool the Hyperion hyperscale data center in Louisiana, Meta requested to withdraw a total of 5.6 million gallons of water every day from local sources. (5)<br /> <br /> Large data centers require significant energy to power their operations, leading to concerns about the large use of energy. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimated that electricity consumption from these data centers amounts to around 415 terawatt hours (TWh), about 1.5% of global electricity consumption in 2024, at a growth rate of 12% per year over the last five years. The IEA projects this amount could double to reach around 945 TWh by 2030, growing by around 15% per year. [11] In the U.S. alone, power consumption by data centers will be &quot;almost half of the growth in electricity demand between now and 2030.&quot; According to Terry Nguyen and Ben Green of the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition, a single data center can &quot;consume up to 2 megawatt hours (MWh),&quot; the same as &quot;the equivalent power consumption of a small town.&quot; This includes increased electricity costs.<br /> <br /> According to a study in the academic journal '''Npj Clean Water''', it was estimated that data centers consumed about 1.7 billion liters of water per day in 2021, with 57% drawn from potable supplies, noting that fewer than one-third of operators measured their water use. A 100-megawatt (MW) data center can use up to 2 million gallons daily. Evaporated water is not returned to the local water system. Water is also necessary to cool the power plants that provide electricity to data centers. Concerns over environmental impacts, energy and water use, and other costs have led to opposition to new data centers during the AI boom. These movements have been seen in parts of Europe, the U.S., and South America. The first report of '''Data Center Watch''' covered a period from May 2024 to March of 2025, where it was discovered that &quot;local opposition had blocked or delayed a total of $64 billion in data center projects (six projects were blocked entirely, while 10 were delayed).&quot; (6)<br /> <br /> '''Reaction to Data Center Construction''' [[File:datacentermap.png|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Data Center Moratoriums. Online: https://www.datacenterbans.com/]]<br /> <br /> <br /> Since early 2024, more than 1,200 public actions – including zoning fights, public campaigns and temporary moratoriums – have been logged by the '''Data Center Tracker,''' a public U.S. database of community responses to data center site selection. This momentum is leading to political action. In Maine, lawmakers passed a contested bill in spring 2026 that would have imposed the nation’s first statewide moratorium on new data centers. Gov. Janet Mills later vetoed the measure on grounds that it would scuttle a $550 million conversion of the closed Androscoggin Mill in the town of Jay into a data center. Mills said, however, she supported in principle a pause in development and signed separate legislation barring state tax incentives going to data centers. She also pledged to create a council to study the industry statewide. Up to 10 other states are considering similar measures to contain their expansion. (7) On July 14, 2026 Governor Kathy Hochul of New York State signed the first statewide moratorium on new hyperscale data centers. (8)<br /> <br /> '''Data Centers Development in Iowa.''' Tech leaders like Google, Facebook and Microsoft have invested billions in data centers in Iowa. Often cited as attractions Iowa offers these companies includes the state ranking 1 in the nation in wind energy as a percentage of total power output (AWEA, 2020), a stable poower grid, a high density of telecommunications infrastructure, the state ranking 18% lower construction costs than national average (NAI Global), and its rank of #2 in lowest cost of doing business in the country (Business Facilities, 2017) Iowa is in the &quot;Safe Zone&quot; for low earthquake and blackout risk in Iowa. (9)<br /> <br /> [[File:earthquakemap.png|400px|thumb|left|Low earthquake and blackout risk in Iowa. USGS Earthquake Hazard Program<br /> A map of the United States showing Iowa -based consultant of most earthquake and blackout risks, most of which exist in the south and west of the state of Iowa.Courtesy: Iowa Economic &amp; Finance Authority]]<br /> <br /> As of July 17, 2026 Dubuque County Supervisors remained skeptical. A study commissioned by the [[GREATER DUBUQUE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION]] employed an Arkansas consulting firm to evaluate the economic impact locally of a data center. The firm's numbers seemed high--a center with a $12 billion capital investment would create 400 permanent jobs, 1,000 construction jobs, generate $6.2 billion of economic impact for the county and just over $200 million in state and local taxes. These were considered a 'conservative' estimate according to Jason White, the president and CEO of GDDC. (10)<br /> <br /> A study of data center employment effects supported by the Brookings Institute found that data centers do create local jobs, with special considerations. (11) Counties that receive their first large data center see total private employment rise by 4%-5% over five to six years. Construction employment jumps 11%, and information sector employment—IT services, telecommunications, software—grows by 22%. Wages rise by 3%-4% for both existing workers and new hires, without a significant increase in home prices. At a typical treated county with 98,000 workers, these estimates imply roughly 2,000 to 4,000 additional jobs after six years, depending on facility type.<br /> <br /> The most policy-relevant finding is that the employment effects depend on facility type. We classify facilities into two types: hyperscale (built by cloud and AI companies—Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Meta—to run their own workloads) and colocation (built by data center landlords—Equinix, Digital Realty, CyrusOne—who lease space to remote tenants). This distinction, absent from prior research and current policy, turns out to be critical.<br /> <br /> Hyperscale counties see large information sector gains while colocation counties do not (Figure 2). A hyperscale campus creates demand for local fiber installers, network operations centers, managed service providers, and IT contractors, firms that set up nearby to serve the campus. A colocation facility leases space to remote tenants who may have no local operational presence. <br /> <br /> Importantly, the largest information sector gains don’t come from a single facility. Specifically, counties with a single data center see modest total employment effects but no significant information sector growth. However, counties with four or more facilities see an impressive 23% increase in information sector employment, indicating that the technology ecosystem that drives these gains takes time and scale to develop.<br /> Takeaways<br /> <br /> Communities have legitimate concerns about energy costs, water use, and environmental impact, and those concerns deserve evidence-based answers of their own. But the labor market dimension of this debate has been conducted largely without data, and our findings suggest several things policymakers should know:<br /> <br /> <br /> * Data centers do create local jobs, though fewer than industry advocates claim. Naive estimates that fail to account for preexisting growth trends overstate the effect by a factor of three.<br /> <br /> * Not all data centers are equal. The technology ecosystem effects that distinguish data centers from warehouses are concentrated in hyperscale investment. Colocation facilities generate construction activity but not the IT agglomeration that makes data centers a distinctive economic development tool.<br /> <br /> * Clusters generate the largest effects. Single facilities produce modest employment gains. The information sector benefits require multiple facilities in the same area.<br /> <br /> * Workers see modest real gains. Wages rise 3%-4% for both existing workers and new hires, with no significant effect on home prices.<br /> <br /> * Incentives may be poorly targeted. Overall, state incentives are small relative to private investment. In hyperscale counties, incentives represent about 2% of total construction investment. Location decisions for these facilities are driven by power availability, land, and fiber infrastructure, not by tax breaks. In colocation counties, incentives represent a much larger share of total investment (62%), meaning subsidies may matter more for precisely the facilities that generate the smallest employment benefits.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Source:<br /> <br /> 1. &quot;Data Center,&quot; Wikipedia<br /> <br /> 2. &quot;What is a Data Center?&quot; IBM, Online: https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/data-centers<br /> <br /> 3. Ibid.<br /> <br /> 4. Mineo, Liz, &quot;Why are Communities Pushing Back Against Data Centers?&quot; The Harvard Gazette, Online: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2026/04/why-are-communities-pushing-back-against-data-centers/<br /> <br /> 5. Morgan, Eva, &quot;Three of the Biggest Harms from Irresponsible Data Center Development—and What Communities Can Do to Fight Back,&quot; Online: https://www.cleanegroup.org/data-center-development/ November 20, 2025<br /> <br /> 6. &quot;Data Center''<br /> <br /> 7. Yue, Daniel and Yiyang, Zeng,&quot;Why Better‑off Cities and Towns See More Benefits From Data Centers Than Rural Regions &quot; theConversation.com Online: https://theconversation.com/why-better-off-cities-and-towns-see-more-benefits-from-data-centers-than-rural-regions-286750<br /> <br /> 8. &quot;First Statewide Moratorium on New Hyperscale Data Centers Launched by Governor Kathy Hochul,&quot; https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/first-statewide-moratorium-new-hyperscale-data-centers-launched-governor-kathy-hochul<br /> <br /> 9. &quot;Data Centers,&quot; Iowa Economic Development &amp; Finance Authority Online: https://opportunityiowa.gov/business/iowa-advantage/key-industries/finance-insurance/data-centers<br /> <br /> 10. Burwell, Grace, County Candidates Skeptical of Data Center Estimates,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', July 17, 2026, p. 1</div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=DATA_CENTERS&diff=187723 2026-07-19T00:49:56Z

<p>Randylyon: </p> <hr /> <div>[[File:datacenter.png|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Harvard Gazette]]DATA CENTERS. In 2026 Dubuque joined the national debate centered on whether to construct a data center. Interest / concern resulted in a questionnaire mailed to each household in the community asking for input before the city council and county supervisors made a decision. <br /> <br /> '''What is a Data Center?''' The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 defined a data center as &quot;any facility that primarily contains electronic equipment used to process, store, and transmit digital information.&quot; This includes &quot;a free-standing structure&quot; or &quot;a facility within a larger structure, that uses environmental control equipment to maintain the proper conditions for the operation of electronic equipment.&quot; According to IBM, data centers date back to the 1940s; the U.S. military's Electrical Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC) was an early example. (1)<br /> <br /> Over the years, computers became more size-efficient, requiring less physical space. In the 1990s, microcomputers drastically reduced the amount of space needed for IT operations. Microcomputers that began filling old mainframe computer rooms became known as “servers.” The rooms became known as “data centers.”<br /> <br /> The advent of cloud computing in the early 2000s significantly disrupted the traditional data center landscape. Cloud services allowed organizations to access computing resources on-demand, over the internet, with pay-per-use pricing—enabling the flexibility to scale up or down as needed. In 2006, Google launched the first hyperscale data center in The Dalles, Oregon. This facility by 2025 occupied 1.3 million square feet of space and employed a staff of approximately 200 data center operators. <br /> <br /> A study from McKinsey &amp; Company projects the industry to grow at 10% a year through 2030, with global spending on the construction of new facilities reaching 49 billion U.S. dollars. (2)<br /> <br /> There are different types of data center facilities. A single company might use more than one type, depending on workloads and business needs.<br /> <br /> This Enterprise Data Center hosts all IT infrastructure and data on-premises. This model provides have more control over information security and can more easily comply with regulations like the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the US Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The company is responsible for all use, monitoring and management tasks.<br /> <br /> Cloud data centers (also called cloud computing data centers) house IT infrastructure for shared use by multiple customers—from scores to millions—through an internet connection. Many of the largest cloud data centers—called hyperscale data centers—are run by major cloud service providers (CSPs), including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform, IBM Cloud and Microsoft Azure. These companies have major data centers in every region of the world. For example, IBM operates over 60 IBM Cloud Data Centers in various locations around the world.<br /> <br /> Hyperscale data centers are larger than traditional data centers and can cover millions of square feet. They typically contain at least 5,000 servers and miles of connection equipment. They can sometimes be as large as 60,000 square feet.<br /> <br /> Cloud service providers typically maintain smaller, edge data centers (EDCs) located closer to cloud customers (and cloud customers’ customers). Edge data centers form the foundation for edge computing, a distributed computing framework that brings applications closer to end users. Edge data centers are ideal for real-time, data-intensive workloads like big data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and content delivery. They help minimize latency, the time it takes for data to travel from one point to another, improving the application performance and customer experience. (3)<br /> <br /> Clean Energy Group hosted a webinar on the hazards of rapid data center development and what community groups can do to mitigate harmful data center proposals. KD Minor from the Alliance for Affordable Energy in Louisiana, Julie Bolthouse from the Piedmont Environmental Council in Virginia, and Matthew Shorraw from Physicians for Social Responsibility in Pennsylvania discussed strategies and case studies from their respective states and provided crucial information on how and where to push back.<br /> <br /> '''What Problems Have Been Associated with Data Centers?''' The main takeaways from the discussion were summarized in three points: 1) data center energy use is increasing pollution from fossil fuel power plants, 2) data center development is raising utility bills from power plants and transmission, and 3) data centers use massive amounts of water.<br /> <br /> In Louisiana, the development of a Meta hyperscale data center called “Hyperion” led the local utility to propose three new natural gas power plants. These plans were then expedited by the Louisiana Public Service Commission, skipping the typical proposal review process. The increased gas capacity will be used to meet up to 5 gigawatts (GW) of energy demand from Hyperion, which is twice the amount of electricity used by the entire city of New Orleans on a hot summer day.<br /> <br /> In Virginia, data centers are the main driver behind 28 GW of predicted load growth by 2050. In addition to new baseload gas plants proposed in the region, data centers generally have backup diesel generators on site. In Virginia alone, 9,000 diesel generators spewing harmful pollutants into the air are being used as backup power for data centers.<br /> <br /> Pennsylvania leads the regional grid in energy exports, supplying electricity to data centers both in Pennsylvania and other states in the PJM region. The state’s energy portfolio is dominated by natural gas, with renewable energy only representing 4 percent of generation. Recent initiatives enacted by PJM and Pennsylvania continue to prioritize gas to meet data center-driven demand.<br /> <br /> The current electricity rate structure doesn’t reflect the new phenomenon of data center-driven load growth. Data centers often receive discounted energy and tax rates brokered through private negotiations and strong leverage and influence because of their size. The hopes of increasing jobs has been frequently used to get support for construction. The construction of data centers requires work because these are large construction projects, but that lasts a year or two; sometimes that labor is local and unionized, and sometimes that labor is trade professionals who come in from other states. Once the data center is up and running, it requires very few people, often just 20 to 50 staff members, because the building is not an office for software developers, product managers, or marketing experts. It is a warehouse of servers. (4)<br /> <br /> New transmission lines built to connect data centers to the massive amounts of energy they use are shared among all utility customers, leaving households and businesses with rising utility bills. In Virginia, transmission lines built for data centers cost $12 billion. New transmission lines can also jeopardize trails, riparian buffers, parks, and sometimes homes as utilities call on public and private rights-of-way and utilize eminent domain.<br /> <br /> In Louisiana, Meta initially promised to pay 15 years of the capital costs of the new gas plants and some of the transmission upgrades necessary to power Hyperion. They later lowered their commitment to just four years, even though ratepayers will be paying back the costs of these investments for over 30 years.<br /> <br /> In Loudon County, Virginia, data centers make up 10 percent of all water use. Their demand spikes during the hottest months, when rivers are already running low. To cool the Hyperion hyperscale data center in Louisiana, Meta requested to withdraw a total of 5.6 million gallons of water every day from local sources. (5)<br /> <br /> Large data centers require significant energy to power their operations, leading to concerns about the large use of energy. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimated that electricity consumption from these data centers amounts to around 415 terawatt hours (TWh), about 1.5% of global electricity consumption in 2024, at a growth rate of 12% per year over the last five years. The IEA projects this amount could double to reach around 945 TWh by 2030, growing by around 15% per year. [11] In the U.S. alone, power consumption by data centers will be &quot;almost half of the growth in electricity demand between now and 2030.&quot; According to Terry Nguyen and Ben Green of the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition, a single data center can &quot;consume up to 2 megawatt hours (MWh),&quot; the same as &quot;the equivalent power consumption of a small town.&quot; This includes increased electricity costs.<br /> <br /> According to a study in the academic journal '''Npj Clean Water''', it was estimated that data centers consumed about 1.7 billion liters of water per day in 2021, with 57% drawn from potable supplies, noting that fewer than one-third of operators measured their water use. A 100-megawatt (MW) data center can use up to 2 million gallons daily. Evaporated water is not returned to the local water system. Water is also necessary to cool the power plants that provide electricity to data centers. Concerns over environmental impacts, energy and water use, and other costs have led to opposition to new data centers during the AI boom. These movements have been seen in parts of Europe, the U.S., and South America. The first report of '''Data Center Watch''' covered a period from May 2024 to March of 2025, where it was discovered that &quot;local opposition had blocked or delayed a total of $64 billion in data center projects (six projects were blocked entirely, while 10 were delayed).&quot; (6)<br /> <br /> '''Reaction to Data Center Construction''' [[File:datacentermap.png|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Data Center Moratoriums. Online: https://www.datacenterbans.com/]]<br /> <br /> <br /> Since early 2024, more than 1,200 public actions – including zoning fights, public campaigns and temporary moratoriums – have been logged by the '''Data Center Tracker,''' a public U.S. database of community responses to data center site selection. This momentum is leading to political action. In Maine, lawmakers passed a contested bill in spring 2026 that would have imposed the nation’s first statewide moratorium on new data centers. Gov. Janet Mills later vetoed the measure on grounds that it would scuttle a $550 million conversion of the closed Androscoggin Mill in the town of Jay into a data center. Mills said, however, she supported in principle a pause in development and signed separate legislation barring state tax incentives going to data centers. She also pledged to create a council to study the industry statewide. Up to 10 other states are considering similar measures to contain their expansion. (7) On July 14, 2026 Governor Kathy Hochul of New York State signed the first statewide moratorium on new hyperscale data centers. (8)<br /> <br /> '''Data Centers Development in Iowa.''' Tech leaders like Google, Facebook and Microsoft have invested billions in data centers in Iowa. Often cited as attractions Iowa offers these companies includes the state ranking 1 in the nation in wind energy as a percentage of total power output (AWEA, 2020), a stable poower grid, a high density of telecommunications infrastructure, the state ranking 18% lower construction costs than national average (NAI Global), and its rank of #2 in lowest cost of doing business in the country (Business Facilities, 2017) Iowa is in the &quot;Safe Zone&quot; for low earthquake and blackout risk in Iowa. (9)<br /> <br /> [[File:earthquakemap.png|400px|thumb|left|Low earthquake and blackout risk in Iowa. USGS Earthquake Hazard Program<br /> A map of the United States showing Iowa -based consultant of most earthquake and blackout risks, most of which exist in the south and west of the state of Iowa.Courtesy: Iowa Economic &amp; Finance Authority]]<br /> <br /> As of July 17, 2026 Dubuque County Supervisors remain skeptical. A study commissioned by the [[GREATER DUBUQUE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION]] employed an Arkansas consulting firm to evaluate the economic impact locally of a data center. The firm's numbers seemed high--a center with a $12 billion capital investment would create 400 permanent jobs, 1,000 construction jobs, generate $6.2 billion of economic impact for the county and just over $200 million in state and local taxes. These were considered a 'conservative' estimate according to Jason White, the president and CEO of GDDC. (10)<br /> <br /> <br /> Source:<br /> <br /> 1. &quot;Data Center,&quot; Wikipedia<br /> <br /> 2. &quot;What is a Data Center?&quot; IBM, Online: https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/data-centers<br /> <br /> 3. Ibid.<br /> <br /> 4. Mineo, Liz, &quot;Why are Communities Pushing Back Against Data Centers?&quot; The Harvard Gazette, Online: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2026/04/why-are-communities-pushing-back-against-data-centers/<br /> <br /> 5. Morgan, Eva, &quot;Three of the Biggest Harms from Irresponsible Data Center Development—and What Communities Can Do to Fight Back,&quot; Online: https://www.cleanegroup.org/data-center-development/ November 20, 2025<br /> <br /> 6. &quot;Data Center''<br /> <br /> 7. Yue, Daniel and Yiyang, Zeng,&quot;Why Better‑off Cities and Towns See More Benefits From Data Centers Than Rural Regions &quot; theConversation.com Online: https://theconversation.com/why-better-off-cities-and-towns-see-more-benefits-from-data-centers-than-rural-regions-286750<br /> <br /> 8. &quot;First Statewide Moratorium on New Hyperscale Data Centers Launched by Governor Kathy Hochul,&quot; https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/first-statewide-moratorium-new-hyperscale-data-centers-launched-governor-kathy-hochul<br /> <br /> 9. &quot;Data Centers,&quot; Iowa Economic Development &amp; Finance Authority Online: https://opportunityiowa.gov/business/iowa-advantage/key-industries/finance-insurance/data-centers<br /> <br /> 10. Burwell, Grace, County Candidates Skeptical of Data Center Estimates,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', July 17, 2026, p. 1</div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=DATA_CENTERS&diff=187722 2026-07-19T00:32:41Z

<p>Randylyon: </p> <hr /> <div>[[File:datacenter.png|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Harvard Gazette]]DATA CENTERS. In 2026 Dubuque joined the national debate centered on whether to construct a data center. Interest / concern resulted in a questionnaire mailed to each household in the community asking for input before the city council and county supervisors made a decision. <br /> <br /> '''What is a Data Center?''' The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 defined a data center as &quot;any facility that primarily contains electronic equipment used to process, store, and transmit digital information.&quot; This includes &quot;a free-standing structure&quot; or &quot;a facility within a larger structure, that uses environmental control equipment to maintain the proper conditions for the operation of electronic equipment.&quot; According to IBM, data centers date back to the 1940s; the U.S. military's Electrical Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC) was an early example. (1)<br /> <br /> Over the years, computers became more size-efficient, requiring less physical space. In the 1990s, microcomputers drastically reduced the amount of space needed for IT operations. Microcomputers that began filling old mainframe computer rooms became known as “servers.” The rooms became known as “data centers.”<br /> <br /> The advent of cloud computing in the early 2000s significantly disrupted the traditional data center landscape. Cloud services allowed organizations to access computing resources on-demand, over the internet, with pay-per-use pricing—enabling the flexibility to scale up or down as needed. In 2006, Google launched the first hyperscale data center in The Dalles, Oregon. This facility by 2025 occupied 1.3 million square feet of space and employed a staff of approximately 200 data center operators. <br /> <br /> A study from McKinsey &amp; Company projects the industry to grow at 10% a year through 2030, with global spending on the construction of new facilities reaching 49 billion U.S. dollars. (2)<br /> <br /> There are different types of data center facilities. A single company might use more than one type, depending on workloads and business needs.<br /> <br /> This Enterprise Data Center hosts all IT infrastructure and data on-premises. This model provides have more control over information security and can more easily comply with regulations like the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the US Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The company is responsible for all use, monitoring and management tasks.<br /> <br /> Cloud data centers (also called cloud computing data centers) house IT infrastructure for shared use by multiple customers—from scores to millions—through an internet connection. Many of the largest cloud data centers—called hyperscale data centers—are run by major cloud service providers (CSPs), including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform, IBM Cloud and Microsoft Azure. These companies have major data centers in every region of the world. For example, IBM operates over 60 IBM Cloud Data Centers in various locations around the world.<br /> <br /> Hyperscale data centers are larger than traditional data centers and can cover millions of square feet. They typically contain at least 5,000 servers and miles of connection equipment. They can sometimes be as large as 60,000 square feet.<br /> <br /> Cloud service providers typically maintain smaller, edge data centers (EDCs) located closer to cloud customers (and cloud customers’ customers). Edge data centers form the foundation for edge computing, a distributed computing framework that brings applications closer to end users. Edge data centers are ideal for real-time, data-intensive workloads like big data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and content delivery. They help minimize latency, the time it takes for data to travel from one point to another, improving the application performance and customer experience. (3)<br /> <br /> Clean Energy Group hosted a webinar on the hazards of rapid data center development and what community groups can do to mitigate harmful data center proposals. KD Minor from the Alliance for Affordable Energy in Louisiana, Julie Bolthouse from the Piedmont Environmental Council in Virginia, and Matthew Shorraw from Physicians for Social Responsibility in Pennsylvania discussed strategies and case studies from their respective states and provided crucial information on how and where to push back.<br /> <br /> '''What Problems Have Been Associated with Data Centers?''' The main takeaways from the discussion were summarized in three points: 1) data center energy use is increasing pollution from fossil fuel power plants, 2) data center development is raising utility bills from power plants and transmission, and 3) data centers use massive amounts of water.<br /> <br /> In Louisiana, the development of a Meta hyperscale data center called “Hyperion” led the local utility to propose three new natural gas power plants. These plans were then expedited by the Louisiana Public Service Commission, skipping the typical proposal review process. The increased gas capacity will be used to meet up to 5 gigawatts (GW) of energy demand from Hyperion, which is twice the amount of electricity used by the entire city of New Orleans on a hot summer day.<br /> <br /> In Virginia, data centers are the main driver behind 28 GW of predicted load growth by 2050. In addition to new baseload gas plants proposed in the region, data centers generally have backup diesel generators on site. In Virginia alone, 9,000 diesel generators spewing harmful pollutants into the air are being used as backup power for data centers.<br /> <br /> Pennsylvania leads the regional grid in energy exports, supplying electricity to data centers both in Pennsylvania and other states in the PJM region. The state’s energy portfolio is dominated by natural gas, with renewable energy only representing 4 percent of generation. Recent initiatives enacted by PJM and Pennsylvania continue to prioritize gas to meet data center-driven demand.<br /> <br /> The current electricity rate structure doesn’t reflect the new phenomenon of data center-driven load growth. Data centers often receive discounted energy and tax rates brokered through private negotiations and strong leverage and influence because of their size. The hopes of increasing jobs has been frequently used to get support for construction. The construction of data centers requires work because these are large construction projects, but that lasts a year or two; sometimes that labor is local and unionized, and sometimes that labor is trade professionals who come in from other states. Once the data center is up and running, it requires very few people, often just 20 to 50 staff members, because the building is not an office for software developers, product managers, or marketing experts. It is a warehouse of servers. (4)<br /> <br /> New transmission lines built to connect data centers to the massive amounts of energy they use are shared among all utility customers, leaving households and businesses with rising utility bills. In Virginia, transmission lines built for data centers cost $12 billion. New transmission lines can also jeopardize trails, riparian buffers, parks, and sometimes homes as utilities call on public and private rights-of-way and utilize eminent domain.<br /> <br /> In Louisiana, Meta initially promised to pay 15 years of the capital costs of the new gas plants and some of the transmission upgrades necessary to power Hyperion. They later lowered their commitment to just four years, even though ratepayers will be paying back the costs of these investments for over 30 years.<br /> <br /> In Loudon County, Virginia, data centers make up 10 percent of all water use. Their demand spikes during the hottest months, when rivers are already running low. To cool the Hyperion hyperscale data center in Louisiana, Meta requested to withdraw a total of 5.6 million gallons of water every day from local sources. (5)<br /> <br /> Large data centers require significant energy to power their operations, leading to concerns about the large use of energy. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimated that electricity consumption from these data centers amounts to around 415 terawatt hours (TWh), about 1.5% of global electricity consumption in 2024, at a growth rate of 12% per year over the last five years. The IEA projects this amount could double to reach around 945 TWh by 2030, growing by around 15% per year. [11] In the U.S. alone, power consumption by data centers will be &quot;almost half of the growth in electricity demand between now and 2030.&quot; According to Terry Nguyen and Ben Green of the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition, a single data center can &quot;consume up to 2 megawatt hours (MWh),&quot; the same as &quot;the equivalent power consumption of a small town.&quot; This includes increased electricity costs.<br /> <br /> According to a study in the academic journal '''Npj Clean Water''', it was estimated that data centers consumed about 1.7 billion liters of water per day in 2021, with 57% drawn from potable supplies, noting that fewer than one-third of operators measured their water use. A 100-megawatt (MW) data center can use up to 2 million gallons daily. Evaporated water is not returned to the local water system. Water is also necessary to cool the power plants that provide electricity to data centers. Concerns over environmental impacts, energy and water use, and other costs have led to opposition to new data centers during the AI boom. These movements have been seen in parts of Europe, the U.S., and South America. The first report of '''Data Center Watch''' covered a period from May 2024 to March of 2025, where it was discovered that &quot;local opposition had blocked or delayed a total of $64 billion in data center projects (six projects were blocked entirely, while 10 were delayed).&quot; (6)<br /> <br /> '''Reaction to Data Center Construction''' [[File:datacentermap.png|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Data Center Moratoriums. Online: https://www.datacenterbans.com/]]<br /> <br /> <br /> Since early 2024, more than 1,200 public actions – including zoning fights, public campaigns and temporary moratoriums – have been logged by the '''Data Center Tracker,''' a public U.S. database of community responses to data center site selection. This momentum is leading to political action. In Maine, lawmakers passed a contested bill in spring 2026 that would have imposed the nation’s first statewide moratorium on new data centers. Gov. Janet Mills later vetoed the measure on grounds that it would scuttle a $550 million conversion of the closed Androscoggin Mill in the town of Jay into a data center. Mills said, however, she supported in principle a pause in development and signed separate legislation barring state tax incentives going to data centers. She also pledged to create a council to study the industry statewide. Up to 10 other states are considering similar measures to contain their expansion. (7) On July 14, 2026 Governor Kathy Hochul of New York State signed the first statewide moratorium on new hyperscale data centers. (8)<br /> <br /> '''Data Centers Development in Iowa.''' Tech leaders like Google, Facebook and Microsoft have invested billions in data centers in Iowa. Often cited as attractions Iowa offers these companies includes the state ranking 1 in the nation in wind energy as a percentage of total power output (AWEA, 2020), a stable poower grid, a high density of telecommunications infrastructure, the state ranking 18% lower construction costs than national average (NAI Global), and its rank of #2 in lowest cost of doing business in the country (Business Facilities, 2017) Iowa is in the &quot;Safe Zone&quot; for low earthquake and blackout risk in Iowa. (9)<br /> <br /> [[File:earthquakemap.png|400px|thumb|left|Low earthquake and blackout risk in Iowa. USGS Earthquake Hazard Program<br /> A map of the United States showing Iowa clear of most earthquake and blackout risks, most of which exist in the south and west of the state of Iowa.Courtesy: Iowa Economic &amp; Finance Authority]]<br /> <br /> <br /> Source:<br /> <br /> 1. &quot;Data Center,&quot; Wikipedia<br /> <br /> 2. &quot;What is a Data Center?&quot; IBM, Online: https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/data-centers<br /> <br /> 3. Ibid.<br /> <br /> 4. Mineo, Liz, &quot;Why are Communities Pushing Back Against Data Centers?&quot; The Harvard Gazette, Online: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2026/04/why-are-communities-pushing-back-against-data-centers/<br /> <br /> 5. Morgan, Eva, &quot;Three of the Biggest Harms from Irresponsible Data Center Development—and What Communities Can Do to Fight Back,&quot; Online: https://www.cleanegroup.org/data-center-development/ November 20, 2025<br /> <br /> 6. &quot;Data Center''<br /> <br /> 7. Yue, Daniel and Yiyang, Zeng,&quot;Why Better‑off Cities and Towns See More Benefits From Data Centers Than Rural Regions &quot; theConversation.com Online: https://theconversation.com/why-better-off-cities-and-towns-see-more-benefits-from-data-centers-than-rural-regions-286750<br /> <br /> 8. &quot;First Statewide Moratorium on New Hyperscale Data Centers Launched by Governor Kathy Hochul,&quot; https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/first-statewide-moratorium-new-hyperscale-data-centers-launched-governor-kathy-hochul<br /> <br /> 9. &quot;Data Centers,&quot; Iowa Economic Development &amp; Finance Authority Online: https://opportunityiowa.gov/business/iowa-advantage/key-industries/finance-insurance/data-centers</div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=DATA_CENTERS&diff=187721 2026-07-19T00:30:19Z

<p>Randylyon: </p> <hr /> <div>[[File:datacenter.png|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Harvard Gazette]]DATA CENTERS. In 2026 Dubuque joined the national debate centered on whether to construct a data center. Interest / concern resulted in a questionnaire mailed to each household in the community asking for input before the city council and county supervisors made a decision. <br /> <br /> '''What is a Data Center?''' The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 defined a data center as &quot;any facility that primarily contains electronic equipment used to process, store, and transmit digital information.&quot; This includes &quot;a free-standing structure&quot; or &quot;a facility within a larger structure, that uses environmental control equipment to maintain the proper conditions for the operation of electronic equipment.&quot; According to IBM, data centers date back to the 1940s; the U.S. military's Electrical Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC) was an early example. (1)<br /> <br /> Over the years, computers became more size-efficient, requiring less physical space. In the 1990s, microcomputers drastically reduced the amount of space needed for IT operations. Microcomputers that began filling old mainframe computer rooms became known as “servers.” The rooms became known as “data centers.”<br /> <br /> The advent of cloud computing in the early 2000s significantly disrupted the traditional data center landscape. Cloud services allowed organizations to access computing resources on-demand, over the internet, with pay-per-use pricing—enabling the flexibility to scale up or down as needed. In 2006, Google launched the first hyperscale data center in The Dalles, Oregon. This facility by 2025 occupied 1.3 million square feet of space and employed a staff of approximately 200 data center operators. <br /> <br /> A study from McKinsey &amp; Company projects the industry to grow at 10% a year through 2030, with global spending on the construction of new facilities reaching 49 billion U.S. dollars. (2)<br /> <br /> There are different types of data center facilities. A single company might use more than one type, depending on workloads and business needs.<br /> <br /> This Enterprise Data Center hosts all IT infrastructure and data on-premises. This model provides have more control over information security and can more easily comply with regulations like the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the US Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The company is responsible for all use, monitoring and management tasks.<br /> <br /> Cloud data centers (also called cloud computing data centers) house IT infrastructure for shared use by multiple customers—from scores to millions—through an internet connection. Many of the largest cloud data centers—called hyperscale data centers—are run by major cloud service providers (CSPs), including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform, IBM Cloud and Microsoft Azure. These companies have major data centers in every region of the world. For example, IBM operates over 60 IBM Cloud Data Centers in various locations around the world.<br /> <br /> Hyperscale data centers are larger than traditional data centers and can cover millions of square feet. They typically contain at least 5,000 servers and miles of connection equipment. They can sometimes be as large as 60,000 square feet.<br /> <br /> Cloud service providers typically maintain smaller, edge data centers (EDCs) located closer to cloud customers (and cloud customers’ customers). Edge data centers form the foundation for edge computing, a distributed computing framework that brings applications closer to end users. Edge data centers are ideal for real-time, data-intensive workloads like big data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and content delivery. They help minimize latency, the time it takes for data to travel from one point to another, improving the application performance and customer experience. (3)<br /> <br /> Clean Energy Group hosted a webinar on the hazards of rapid data center development and what community groups can do to mitigate harmful data center proposals. KD Minor from the Alliance for Affordable Energy in Louisiana, Julie Bolthouse from the Piedmont Environmental Council in Virginia, and Matthew Shorraw from Physicians for Social Responsibility in Pennsylvania discussed strategies and case studies from their respective states and provided crucial information on how and where to push back.<br /> <br /> '''What Problems Have Been Associated with Data Centers?''' The main takeaways from the discussion were summarized in three points: 1) data center energy use is increasing pollution from fossil fuel power plants, 2) data center development is raising utility bills from power plants and transmission, and 3) data centers use massive amounts of water.<br /> <br /> In Louisiana, the development of a Meta hyperscale data center called “Hyperion” led the local utility to propose three new natural gas power plants. These plans were then expedited by the Louisiana Public Service Commission, skipping the typical proposal review process. The increased gas capacity will be used to meet up to 5 gigawatts (GW) of energy demand from Hyperion, which is twice the amount of electricity used by the entire city of New Orleans on a hot summer day.<br /> <br /> In Virginia, data centers are the main driver behind 28 GW of predicted load growth by 2050. In addition to new baseload gas plants proposed in the region, data centers generally have backup diesel generators on site. In Virginia alone, 9,000 diesel generators spewing harmful pollutants into the air are being used as backup power for data centers.<br /> <br /> Pennsylvania leads the regional grid in energy exports, supplying electricity to data centers both in Pennsylvania and other states in the PJM region. The state’s energy portfolio is dominated by natural gas, with renewable energy only representing 4 percent of generation. Recent initiatives enacted by PJM and Pennsylvania continue to prioritize gas to meet data center-driven demand.<br /> <br /> The current electricity rate structure doesn’t reflect the new phenomenon of data center-driven load growth. Data centers often receive discounted energy and tax rates brokered through private negotiations and strong leverage and influence because of their size. The hopes of increasing jobs has been frequently used to get support for construction. The construction of data centers requires work because these are large construction projects, but that lasts a year or two; sometimes that labor is local and unionized, and sometimes that labor is trade professionals who come in from other states. Once the data center is up and running, it requires very few people, often just 20 to 50 staff members, because the building is not an office for software developers, product managers, or marketing experts. It is a warehouse of servers. (4)<br /> <br /> New transmission lines built to connect data centers to the massive amounts of energy they use are shared among all utility customers, leaving households and businesses with rising utility bills. In Virginia, transmission lines built for data centers cost $12 billion. New transmission lines can also jeopardize trails, riparian buffers, parks, and sometimes homes as utilities call on public and private rights-of-way and utilize eminent domain.<br /> <br /> In Louisiana, Meta initially promised to pay 15 years of the capital costs of the new gas plants and some of the transmission upgrades necessary to power Hyperion. They later lowered their commitment to just four years, even though ratepayers will be paying back the costs of these investments for over 30 years.<br /> <br /> In Loudon County, Virginia, data centers make up 10 percent of all water use. Their demand spikes during the hottest months, when rivers are already running low. To cool the Hyperion hyperscale data center in Louisiana, Meta requested to withdraw a total of 5.6 million gallons of water every day from local sources. (5)<br /> <br /> Large data centers require significant energy to power their operations, leading to concerns about the large use of energy. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimated that electricity consumption from these data centers amounts to around 415 terawatt hours (TWh), about 1.5% of global electricity consumption in 2024, at a growth rate of 12% per year over the last five years. The IEA projects this amount could double to reach around 945 TWh by 2030, growing by around 15% per year. [11] In the U.S. alone, power consumption by data centers will be &quot;almost half of the growth in electricity demand between now and 2030.&quot; According to Terry Nguyen and Ben Green of the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition, a single data center can &quot;consume up to 2 megawatt hours (MWh),&quot; the same as &quot;the equivalent power consumption of a small town.&quot; This includes increased electricity costs.<br /> <br /> According to a study in the academic journal '''Npj Clean Water''', it was estimated that data centers consumed about 1.7 billion liters of water per day in 2021, with 57% drawn from potable supplies, noting that fewer than one-third of operators measured their water use. A 100-megawatt (MW) data center can use up to 2 million gallons daily. Evaporated water is not returned to the local water system. Water is also necessary to cool the power plants that provide electricity to data centers. Concerns over environmental impacts, energy and water use, and other costs have led to opposition to new data centers during the AI boom. These movements have been seen in parts of Europe, the U.S., and South America. The first report of '''Data Center Watch''' covered a period from May 2024 to March of 2025, where it was discovered that &quot;local opposition had blocked or delayed a total of $64 billion in data center projects (six projects were blocked entirely, while 10 were delayed).&quot; (6)<br /> <br /> '''Reaction to Data Center Construction''' [[File:datacentermap.png|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Data Center Moratoriums. Online: https://www.datacenterbans.com/]]<br /> <br /> <br /> Since early 2024, more than 1,200 public actions – including zoning fights, public campaigns and temporary moratoriums – have been logged by the '''Data Center Tracker,''' a public U.S. database of community responses to data center site selection. This momentum is leading to political action. In Maine, lawmakers passed a contested bill in spring 2026 that would have imposed the nation’s first statewide moratorium on new data centers. Gov. Janet Mills later vetoed the measure on grounds that it would scuttle a $550 million conversion of the closed Androscoggin Mill in the town of Jay into a data center. Mills said, however, she supported in principle a pause in development and signed separate legislation barring state tax incentives going to data centers. She also pledged to create a council to study the industry statewide. Up to 10 other states are considering similar measures to contain their expansion. (7) On July 14, 2026 Governor Kathy Hochul of New York State signed the first statewide moratorium on new hyperscale data centers. (8)<br /> <br /> '''Data Centers Development in Iowa.''' Tech leaders like Google, Facebook and Microsoft have invested billions in data centers in Iowa. Often cited as attractions Iowa offers these companies includes the state ranking 1 in the nation in wind energy as a percentage of total power output (AWEA, 2020), a stable poower grid, a high density of telecommunications infrastructure, the state ranking 18% lower construction costs than national average (NAI Global), and its rank of #2 in lowest cost of doing business in the country (Business Facilities, 2017) Iowa is in the &quot;Safe Zone&quot; for low earthquake and blackout risk in Iowa<br /> <br /> [[File:earthquakemap.png|400px|thumb|left|Low earthquake and blackout risk in Iowa. USGS Earthquake Hazard Program<br /> A map of the United States showing Iowa clear of most earthquake and blackout risks, most of which exist in the south and west of the state of Iowa.Courtesy: Iowa Economic &amp; Finance Authority]]<br /> <br /> <br /> Source:<br /> <br /> 1. &quot;Data Center,&quot; Wikipedia<br /> <br /> 2. &quot;What is a Data Center?&quot; IBM, Online: https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/data-centers<br /> <br /> 3. Ibid.<br /> <br /> 4. Mineo, Liz, &quot;Why are Communities Pushing Back Against Data Centers?&quot; The Harvard Gazette, Online: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2026/04/why-are-communities-pushing-back-against-data-centers/<br /> <br /> 5. Morgan, Eva, &quot;Three of the Biggest Harms from Irresponsible Data Center Development—and What Communities Can Do to Fight Back,&quot; Online: https://www.cleanegroup.org/data-center-development/ November 20, 2025<br /> <br /> 6. &quot;Data Center''<br /> <br /> 7. Yue, Daniel and Yiyang, Zeng,&quot;Why Better‑off Cities and Towns See More Benefits From Data Centers Than Rural Regions &quot; theConversation.com Online: https://theconversation.com/why-better-off-cities-and-towns-see-more-benefits-from-data-centers-than-rural-regions-286750<br /> <br /> 8. &quot;First Statewide Moratorium on New Hyperscale Data Centers Launched by Governor Kathy Hochul,&quot; https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/first-statewide-moratorium-new-hyperscale-data-centers-launched-governor-kathy-hochul</div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=WHALEN,_Lyle&diff=187720 2026-07-19T00:26:38Z

<p>Randylyon: </p> <hr /> <div>[[Image:whalen.png|left|thumb|250px|Photo courtesy: Telegraph Herald]]WHALEN, Lyle. (Cresco, IA, Sept. 28, 1941--Dubuque, IA, June 28, 2026). Whalen began repairing friends' cars at the age of sixteen. He established Whalen Body Rebuilders when he was eighteen and kept the company until about 1980. (1) <br /> <br /> In 1973 he purchased AIH. Whalen also owned The Bridge truck stop, [[WHALEN'S SELF SERVICE CAR WASH]], [[RAY'S B-LINE]] auto alignment shop, and Iowa Bumper Rechroming-a Des Moines firm he merged with AIH. In 1990 AIH employed fifty people and served seven hundred customers within a 100-mile radius of Dubuque.<br /> <br /> Seeing an opportunity in the time between afternoon and evening shows at the [[DUBUQUE GREYHOUND PARK AND CASINO]], he established the Island Princess for charter cruises and Pelican Pier bar and short-order restaurant. (2) It was enlarged in 1988 and live music was offered. He also purchased the former site of [[INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER COMPANY]] near the [[JULIEN DUBUQUE BRIDGE]] for future development.<br /> <br /> Whalen was also a corporate sponsor of custom car shows and the Iowa State Chamnpion Whalen Sofdtball Team. (3)<br /> <br /> ---<br /> <br /> Source:<br /> <br /> 1. Gilson, Donna. &quot;Dubuque's Whalen Finds, Fills Niches,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', October 28, 1990, p. 10<br /> <br /> 2. Chanaud, Timothy, &quot;Food, Gas, Lodging Industries Win Big,&quot; ''Telegraph Herald'', March 31, 1988, p. 45<br /> <br /> 3. Obituaries, ''Telegraph Herald'', July 5, 2026, p. 11A<br /> <br /> [[Category: Business Leader]]</div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=FUERSTE,_Jr._Frederick&diff=187719 2026-07-17T20:19:45Z

<p>Randylyon: Created page with &quot;FUERSTE, Frederick, Jr. (St. Louis, MO--Iowa City, IA, Feb. 25, 2003). The doctor was described by his brother William FUERSTE as a &quot;physician who could tie knots inside a matchbox&quot; (TH editorial 03/08-2003). Frederick grew up in Dubuque and achieved outstanding success at DUBUQUE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL, UNIVERSITY OF DUBUQUE and the University of Iowa. Graduating from the University of Iowa College of Medicine, he practiced in Cheyenne, Wyoming...&quot;</p> <hr /> <div>FUERSTE, Frederick, Jr. (St. Louis, MO--Iowa City, IA, Feb. 25, 2003). The doctor was described by his brother [[FUERSTE, William|William FUERSTE]] as a &quot;physician who could tie knots inside a matchbox&quot; (TH editorial 03/08-2003). Frederick grew up in Dubuque and achieved outstanding success at [[DUBUQUE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL]], [[UNIVERSITY OF DUBUQUE]] and the University of Iowa. Graduating from the University of Iowa College of Medicine, he practiced in Cheyenne, Wyoming, Milwaukee, and St. Louis before returning to Dubuque. Frederick and his wife<br /> <br /> In 1978 he was named Dubuque County Sight Saving chairman by the Iowa Society for the Prevention of Blindness. In addition for raising support for the Society, he was charged with distributing information to residents about blinding diseases, eye safety, and child eye care.<br /> <br /> Of his family of six children, three. H. Hunter, C. Rommell, and Gretchen, followed their father's career path into ophthalmology. <br /> <br /> He retired in March, 1995.<br /> <br /> <br /> Source:<br /> <br /> Hogstrom, Erik, &quot;Brother Remembers Pioneer Dubuque Ophthalmologist,&quot; Telegraph Herald, February 28, 2003, p. 2<br /> <br /> <br /> [[Category: Physician]]</div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=FUERSTE,_Charles_%22Rommel%22&diff=187718 2026-07-17T19:24:51Z

<p>Randylyon: </p> <hr /> <div>[[File:rommel.png|250px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Dubuque Today]]FUERSTE, Charles &quot;Rommel,&quot; Charles “Rommel&quot; (Dubuque, IA, February 18, 1957--Dubuque, IA, July 13, 2026--2026) The son of [[FUERSTE, Jr. Frederick|Frederick FUERSTE, Jr.]] and Maria (Skagen) Fuerste, Rommel attended [[BRYANT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL]], [[WASHINGTON MIDDLE SCHOOL]] and [[DUBUQUE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL]] before earning his undergraduate degree from Cornell College in 1979. He graduated from the University of Iowa College of Medicine in 1983, completed an internship at the University of Southern California, and completed his ophthalmology residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Returning to Dubuque, he joined the family legacy at Fuerste Eye Clinic, joining his father; brother, [[|FUERSTE, F. Hunter|F. Hunter FUERSTE]]; sister, Gretchen; in the practice founded by his grandparents, and dedicating his career to restoring sight and caring for generations of patients.<br /> <br /> Rommel married his beloved wife, Donnelle, in Dubuque in December 1988 — after only six months, they knew it was meant to be. He became a model of a devoted husband and father to Jamie and Ryan, and was thrilled to welcome twins Wade and Cole in 1993. <br /> <br /> Later in life, Rommel devoted significant time to volunteer medical work in Haiti through the Haiti Health Promise of Holy Name at Hopital du Sacré-Cœur in Milot. He loved caring for children there, providing free eye care and surgery, recruiting medical volunteers, and organizing Dubuque food packathons to support the mission.<br /> <br /> Beyond medicine, Rommel served for many years on ski patrol at [[SUNDOWN MOUNTAIN]] and loved skiing with family and friends in Dubuque and the Colorado Rockies, especially Steamboat Springs. He was also an avid golfer who enjoyed playing at the [[DUBUQUE GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB]] and on courses around the world with his golf buddies.<br /> <br /> Source:<br /> <br /> <br /> [[Category: Physician]]<br /> [[Category: Humanitarian]]</div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=FUERSTE,_Charles_%22Rommel%22&diff=187717 2026-07-17T19:24:36Z

<p>Randylyon: </p> <hr /> <div>[[File:rommel.png|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Dubuque Today]]FUERSTE, Charles &quot;Rommel,&quot; Charles “Rommel&quot; (Dubuque, IA, February 18, 1957--Dubuque, IA, July 13, 2026--2026) The son of [[FUERSTE, Jr. Frederick|Frederick FUERSTE, Jr.]] and Maria (Skagen) Fuerste, Rommel attended [[BRYANT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL]], [[WASHINGTON MIDDLE SCHOOL]] and [[DUBUQUE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL]] before earning his undergraduate degree from Cornell College in 1979. He graduated from the University of Iowa College of Medicine in 1983, completed an internship at the University of Southern California, and completed his ophthalmology residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Returning to Dubuque, he joined the family legacy at Fuerste Eye Clinic, joining his father; brother, [[|FUERSTE, F. Hunter|F. Hunter FUERSTE]]; sister, Gretchen; in the practice founded by his grandparents, and dedicating his career to restoring sight and caring for generations of patients.<br /> <br /> Rommel married his beloved wife, Donnelle, in Dubuque in December 1988 — after only six months, they knew it was meant to be. He became a model of a devoted husband and father to Jamie and Ryan, and was thrilled to welcome twins Wade and Cole in 1993. <br /> <br /> Later in life, Rommel devoted significant time to volunteer medical work in Haiti through the Haiti Health Promise of Holy Name at Hopital du Sacré-Cœur in Milot. He loved caring for children there, providing free eye care and surgery, recruiting medical volunteers, and organizing Dubuque food packathons to support the mission.<br /> <br /> Beyond medicine, Rommel served for many years on ski patrol at [[SUNDOWN MOUNTAIN]] and loved skiing with family and friends in Dubuque and the Colorado Rockies, especially Steamboat Springs. He was also an avid golfer who enjoyed playing at the [[DUBUQUE GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB]] and on courses around the world with his golf buddies.<br /> <br /> Source:<br /> <br /> <br /> [[Category: Physician]]<br /> [[Category: Humanitarian]]</div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=File:Rommel.png&diff=187716 2026-07-17T19:23:37Z

<p>Randylyon: </p> <hr /> <div></div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=FUERSTE,_Charles_%22Rommel%22&diff=187715 2026-07-17T19:23:12Z

<p>Randylyon: </p> <hr /> <div>[[File:fuerste.png|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Dubuque Today]]FUERSTE, Charles &quot;Rommel,&quot; Charles “Rommel&quot; (Dubuque, IA, February 18, 1957--Dubuque, IA, July 13, 2026--2026) The son of [[FUERSTE, Jr. Frederick|Frederick FUERSTE, Jr.]] and Maria (Skagen) Fuerste, Rommel attended [[BRYANT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL]], [[WASHINGTON MIDDLE SCHOOL]] and [[DUBUQUE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL]] before earning his undergraduate degree from Cornell College in 1979. He graduated from the University of Iowa College of Medicine in 1983, completed an internship at the University of Southern California, and completed his ophthalmology residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Returning to Dubuque, he joined the family legacy at Fuerste Eye Clinic, joining his father; brother, [[|FUERSTE, F. Hunter|F. Hunter FUERSTE]]; sister, Gretchen; in the practice founded by his grandparents, and dedicating his career to restoring sight and caring for generations of patients.<br /> <br /> Rommel married his beloved wife, Donnelle, in Dubuque in December 1988 — after only six months, they knew it was meant to be. He became a model of a devoted husband and father to Jamie and Ryan, and was thrilled to welcome twins Wade and Cole in 1993. <br /> <br /> Later in life, Rommel devoted significant time to volunteer medical work in Haiti through the Haiti Health Promise of Holy Name at Hopital du Sacré-Cœur in Milot. He loved caring for children there, providing free eye care and surgery, recruiting medical volunteers, and organizing Dubuque food packathons to support the mission.<br /> <br /> Beyond medicine, Rommel served for many years on ski patrol at [[SUNDOWN MOUNTAIN]] and loved skiing with family and friends in Dubuque and the Colorado Rockies, especially Steamboat Springs. He was also an avid golfer who enjoyed playing at the [[DUBUQUE GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB]] and on courses around the world with his golf buddies.<br /> <br /> Source:<br /> <br /> <br /> [[Category: Physician]]<br /> [[Category: Humanitarian]]</div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=FUERSTE,_Charles_%22Rommel%22&diff=187714 2026-07-17T19:21:45Z

<p>Randylyon: </p> <hr /> <div>FUERSTE, Charles &quot;Rommel,&quot; Charles “Rommel&quot; (Dubuque, IA, February 18, 1957--Dubuque, IA, July 13, 2026--2026) The son of [[FUERSTE, Jr. Frederick|Frederick FUERSTE, Jr.]] and Maria (Skagen) Fuerste, Rommel attended [[BRYANT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL]], [[WASHINGTON MIDDLE SCHOOL]] and [[DUBUQUE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL]] before earning his undergraduate degree from Cornell College in 1979. He graduated from the University of Iowa College of Medicine in 1983, completed an internship at the University of Southern California, and completed his ophthalmology residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Returning to Dubuque, he joined the family legacy at Fuerste Eye Clinic, joining his father; brother, [[|FUERSTE, F. Hunter|F. Hunter FUERSTE]]; sister, Gretchen; in the practice founded by his grandparents, and dedicating his career to restoring sight and caring for generations of patients.<br /> <br /> Rommel married his beloved wife, Donnelle, in Dubuque in December 1988 — after only six months, they knew it was meant to be. He became a model of a devoted husband and father to Jamie and Ryan, and was thrilled to welcome twins Wade and Cole in 1993. <br /> <br /> Later in life, Rommel devoted significant time to volunteer medical work in Haiti through the Haiti Health Promise of Holy Name at Hopital du Sacré-Cœur in Milot. He loved caring for children there, providing free eye care and surgery, recruiting medical volunteers, and organizing Dubuque food packathons to support the mission.<br /> <br /> Beyond medicine, Rommel served for many years on ski patrol at [[SUNDOWN MOUNTAIN]] and loved skiing with family and friends in Dubuque and the Colorado Rockies, especially Steamboat Springs. He was also an avid golfer who enjoyed playing at the [[DUBUQUE GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB]] and on courses around the world with his golf buddies.<br /> <br /> Source:<br /> <br /> <br /> [[Category: Physician]]<br /> [[Category: Humanitarian]]</div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=FUERSTE,_Charles_%22Rommel%22&diff=187713 2026-07-17T19:20:21Z

<p>Randylyon: U</p> <hr /> <div>FUERSTE, Charles &quot;Rommel,&quot; Charles “Rommel&quot; (Dubuque, IA, February 18, 1957--Dubuque, IA, July 13, 2026--2026) The son of [[FUERSTE, Frederick Jr.|Frederick FUERSTE, Jr. Maria (Skagen) Fuerste ]], Rommel attended [[BRYANT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL]], [[WASHINGTON MIDDLE SCHOOL]] and [[DUBUQUE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL]] before earning his undergraduate degree from Cornell College in 1979. He graduated from the University of Iowa College of Medicine in 1983, completed an internship at the University of Southern California, and completed his ophthalmology residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Returning to Dubuque, he joined the family legacy at Fuerste Eye Clinic, joining his father; brother, [[|FUERSTE, F. Hunter|F. Hunter FUERSTE]]; sister, Gretchen; in the practice founded by his grandparents, and dedicating his career to restoring sight and caring for generations of patients.<br /> <br /> Rommel married his beloved wife, Donnelle, in Dubuque in December 1988 — after only six months, they knew it was meant to be. He became a model of a devoted husband and father to Jamie and Ryan, and was thrilled to welcome twins Wade and Cole in 1993. <br /> <br /> Later in life, Rommel devoted significant time to volunteer medical work in Haiti through the Haiti Health Promise of Holy Name at Hopital du Sacré-Cœur in Milot. He loved caring for children there, providing free eye care and surgery, recruiting medical volunteers, and organizing Dubuque food packathons to support the mission.<br /> <br /> Beyond medicine, Rommel served for many years on ski patrol at [[SUNDOWN MOUNTAIN]] and loved skiing with family and friends in Dubuque and the Colorado Rockies, especially Steamboat Springs. He was also an avid golfer who enjoyed playing at the [[DUBUQUE GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB]] and on courses around the world with his golf buddies.<br /> <br /> Source:<br /> <br /> <br /> [[Category: Physician]]<br /> [[Category: Humanitarian]]</div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=DATA_CENTERS&diff=187712 2026-07-17T04:24:47Z

<p>Randylyon: </p> <hr /> <div>[[File:datacenter.png|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Harvard Gazette]]DATA CENTERS. In 2026 Dubuque joined the national debate centered on whether to construct a data center. Interest / concern resulted in a questionnaire mailed to each household in the community asking for input before the city council and county supervisors made a decision. <br /> <br /> '''What is a Data Center?''' The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 defined a data center as &quot;any facility that primarily contains electronic equipment used to process, store, and transmit digital information.&quot; This includes &quot;a free-standing structure&quot; or &quot;a facility within a larger structure, that uses environmental control equipment to maintain the proper conditions for the operation of electronic equipment.&quot; According to IBM, data centers date back to the 1940s; the U.S. military's Electrical Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC) was an early example. (1)<br /> <br /> Over the years, computers became more size-efficient, requiring less physical space. In the 1990s, microcomputers drastically reduced the amount of space needed for IT operations. Microcomputers that began filling old mainframe computer rooms became known as “servers.” The rooms became known as “data centers.”<br /> <br /> The advent of cloud computing in the early 2000s significantly disrupted the traditional data center landscape. Cloud services allowed organizations to access computing resources on-demand, over the internet, with pay-per-use pricing—enabling the flexibility to scale up or down as needed. In 2006, Google launched the first hyperscale data center in The Dalles, Oregon. This facility by 2025 occupied 1.3 million square feet of space and employed a staff of approximately 200 data center operators. <br /> <br /> A study from McKinsey &amp; Company projects the industry to grow at 10% a year through 2030, with global spending on the construction of new facilities reaching 49 billion U.S. dollars. (2)<br /> <br /> There are different types of data center facilities. A single company might use more than one type, depending on workloads and business needs.<br /> <br /> This Enterprise Data Center hosts all IT infrastructure and data on-premises. This model provides have more control over information security and can more easily comply with regulations like the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the US Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The company is responsible for all use, monitoring and management tasks.<br /> <br /> Cloud data centers (also called cloud computing data centers) house IT infrastructure for shared use by multiple customers—from scores to millions—through an internet connection. Many of the largest cloud data centers—called hyperscale data centers—are run by major cloud service providers (CSPs), including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform, IBM Cloud and Microsoft Azure. These companies have major data centers in every region of the world. For example, IBM operates over 60 IBM Cloud Data Centers in various locations around the world.<br /> <br /> Hyperscale data centers are larger than traditional data centers and can cover millions of square feet. They typically contain at least 5,000 servers and miles of connection equipment. They can sometimes be as large as 60,000 square feet.<br /> <br /> Cloud service providers typically maintain smaller, edge data centers (EDCs) located closer to cloud customers (and cloud customers’ customers). Edge data centers form the foundation for edge computing, a distributed computing framework that brings applications closer to end users. Edge data centers are ideal for real-time, data-intensive workloads like big data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and content delivery. They help minimize latency, the time it takes for data to travel from one point to another, improving the application performance and customer experience. (3)<br /> <br /> Clean Energy Group hosted a webinar on the hazards of rapid data center development and what community groups can do to mitigate harmful data center proposals. KD Minor from the Alliance for Affordable Energy in Louisiana, Julie Bolthouse from the Piedmont Environmental Council in Virginia, and Matthew Shorraw from Physicians for Social Responsibility in Pennsylvania discussed strategies and case studies from their respective states and provided crucial information on how and where to push back.<br /> <br /> '''What Problems Have Been Associated with Data Centers?''' The main takeaways from the discussion were summarized in three points: 1) data center energy use is increasing pollution from fossil fuel power plants, 2) data center development is raising utility bills from power plants and transmission, and 3) data centers use massive amounts of water.<br /> <br /> In Louisiana, the development of a Meta hyperscale data center called “Hyperion” led the local utility to propose three new natural gas power plants. These plans were then expedited by the Louisiana Public Service Commission, skipping the typical proposal review process. The increased gas capacity will be used to meet up to 5 gigawatts (GW) of energy demand from Hyperion, which is twice the amount of electricity used by the entire city of New Orleans on a hot summer day.<br /> <br /> In Virginia, data centers are the main driver behind 28 GW of predicted load growth by 2050. In addition to new baseload gas plants proposed in the region, data centers generally have backup diesel generators on site. In Virginia alone, 9,000 diesel generators spewing harmful pollutants into the air are being used as backup power for data centers.<br /> <br /> Pennsylvania leads the regional grid in energy exports, supplying electricity to data centers both in Pennsylvania and other states in the PJM region. The state’s energy portfolio is dominated by natural gas, with renewable energy only representing 4 percent of generation. Recent initiatives enacted by PJM and Pennsylvania continue to prioritize gas to meet data center-driven demand.<br /> <br /> The current electricity rate structure doesn’t reflect the new phenomenon of data center-driven load growth. Data centers often receive discounted energy and tax rates brokered through private negotiations and strong leverage and influence because of their size. The hopes of increasing jobs has been frequently used to get support for construction. The construction of data centers requires work because these are large construction projects, but that lasts a year or two; sometimes that labor is local and unionized, and sometimes that labor is trade professionals who come in from other states. Once the data center is up and running, it requires very few people, often just 20 to 50 staff members, because the building is not an office for software developers, product managers, or marketing experts. It is a warehouse of servers. (4)<br /> <br /> New transmission lines built to connect data centers to the massive amounts of energy they use are shared among all utility customers, leaving households and businesses with rising utility bills. In Virginia, transmission lines built for data centers cost $12 billion. New transmission lines can also jeopardize trails, riparian buffers, parks, and sometimes homes as utilities call on public and private rights-of-way and utilize eminent domain.<br /> <br /> In Louisiana, Meta initially promised to pay 15 years of the capital costs of the new gas plants and some of the transmission upgrades necessary to power Hyperion. They later lowered their commitment to just four years, even though ratepayers will be paying back the costs of these investments for over 30 years.<br /> <br /> In Loudon County, Virginia, data centers make up 10 percent of all water use. Their demand spikes during the hottest months, when rivers are already running low. To cool the Hyperion hyperscale data center in Louisiana, Meta requested to withdraw a total of 5.6 million gallons of water every day from local sources. (5)<br /> <br /> Large data centers require significant energy to power their operations, leading to concerns about the large use of energy. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimated that electricity consumption from these data centers amounts to around 415 terawatt hours (TWh), about 1.5% of global electricity consumption in 2024, at a growth rate of 12% per year over the last five years. The IEA projects this amount could double to reach around 945 TWh by 2030, growing by around 15% per year. [11] In the U.S. alone, power consumption by data centers will be &quot;almost half of the growth in electricity demand between now and 2030.&quot; According to Terry Nguyen and Ben Green of the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition, a single data center can &quot;consume up to 2 megawatt hours (MWh),&quot; the same as &quot;the equivalent power consumption of a small town.&quot; This includes increased electricity costs.<br /> <br /> According to a study in the academic journal '''Npj Clean Water''', it was estimated that data centers consumed about 1.7 billion liters of water per day in 2021, with 57% drawn from potable supplies, noting that fewer than one-third of operators measured their water use. A 100-megawatt (MW) data center can use up to 2 million gallons daily. Evaporated water is not returned to the local water system. Water is also necessary to cool the power plants that provide electricity to data centers. Concerns over environmental impacts, energy and water use, and other costs have led to opposition to new data centers during the AI boom. These movements have been seen in parts of Europe, the U.S., and South America. The first report of '''Data Center Watch''' covered a period from May 2024 to March of 2025, where it was discovered that &quot;local opposition had blocked or delayed a total of $64 billion in data center projects (six projects were blocked entirely, while 10 were delayed).&quot; (6)<br /> <br /> '''Reaction to Data Center Construction''' [[File:datacentermap.png|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Data Center Moratoriums. Online: https://www.datacenterbans.com/]]<br /> <br /> <br /> Since early 2024, more than 1,200 public actions – including zoning fights, public campaigns and temporary moratoriums – have been logged by the '''Data Center Tracker,''' a public U.S. database of community responses to data center site selection. This momentum is leading to political action. In Maine, lawmakers passed a contested bill in spring 2026 that would have imposed the nation’s first statewide moratorium on new data centers. Gov. Janet Mills later vetoed the measure on grounds that it would scuttle a $550 million conversion of the closed Androscoggin Mill in the town of Jay into a data center. Mills said, however, she supported in principle a pause in development and signed separate legislation barring state tax incentives going to data centers. She also pledged to create a council to study the industry statewide. Up to 10 other states are considering similar measures to contain their expansion. (7) On July 14, 2026 Governor Kathy Hochul of New York State signed the first statewide moratorium on new hyperscale data centers. (8)<br /> <br /> '''Data Centers Development in Iowa.''' Tech leaders like Google, Facebook and Microsoft have invested billions in data centers in Iowa. The state ranks #1 in the nation in wind energy as a percentage of total power output (AWEA, 2020), has a stable grid, a high density of telecommunications infrastructure, ranks 18% lower construction costs than national average (NAI Global), and ranks #2 in lowest cost of doing business in the country (Business Facilities, 2017) Iowa is in the &quot;Safe Zone&quot; for low earthquake and blackout risk in Iowa<br /> <br /> [[File:earthquakemap.png|400px|thumb|left|Low earthquake and blackout risk in Iowa. USGS Earthquake Hazard Program<br /> A map of the United States showing Iowa clear of most earthquake and blackout risks, most of which exist in the south and west of the state of Iowa.Courtesy: Iowa Economic &amp; Finance Authority]]<br /> <br /> Statistics on which communities have data centers and how many varies greatly:<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Top 19 Cities with Data Centers (Courtesy: https://www.datacenters.com/locations/united-states/iowa<br /> <br /> Monticello 2 Cedar Rapids 2 Davenport 2 Pleasant Hill 1 Bettendorf 1<br /> <br /> Cedar Falls 1 Waukee 1 Van Meter 1 Cumming 1 Waterloo 1 Urbandale 1 Buffalo 1<br /> <br /> <br /> Des Moines 69 3 The first column may include Altoona (4), West Des Moines (3), Ankeny (1)<br /> <br /> Council Bluffs 11 4<br /> <br /> Cedar Rapids 10 2 The first column may include Marion (2)<br /> <br /> Davenport 3 2 <br /> <br /> Sioux City 3<br /> <br /> Monticello 6 2<br /> <br /> Waterloo IA 2 1<br /> <br /> Greenfield 1<br /> <br /> Carroll 1<br /> <br /> Cedar Falls 1<br /> <br /> Lake Park 1<br /> <br /> Clinton 6<br /> <br /> Dubuque 1 1<br /> <br /> Maquoketa 1<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ---<br /> <br /> Source:<br /> <br /> 1. &quot;Data Center,&quot; Wikipedia<br /> <br /> 2. &quot;What is a Data Center?&quot; IBM, Online: https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/data-centers<br /> <br /> 3. Ibid.<br /> <br /> 4. Mineo, Liz, &quot;Why are Communities Pushing Back Against Data Centers?&quot; The Harvard Gazette, Online: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2026/04/why-are-communities-pushing-back-against-data-centers/<br /> <br /> 5. Morgan, Eva, &quot;Three of the Biggest Harms from Irresponsible Data Center Development—and What Communities Can Do to Fight Back,&quot; Online: https://www.cleanegroup.org/data-center-development/ November 20, 2025<br /> <br /> 6. &quot;Data Center''<br /> <br /> 7. Yue, Daniel and Yiyang, Zeng,&quot;Why Better‑off Cities and Towns See More Benefits From Data Centers Than Rural Regions &quot; theConversation.com Online: https://theconversation.com/why-better-off-cities-and-towns-see-more-benefits-from-data-centers-than-rural-regions-286750<br /> <br /> 8. &quot;First Statewide Moratorium on New Hyperscale Data Centers Launched by Governor Kathy Hochul,&quot; https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/first-statewide-moratorium-new-hyperscale-data-centers-launched-governor-kathy-hochul</div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=DATA_CENTERS&diff=187711 2026-07-17T04:06:03Z

<p>Randylyon: </p> <hr /> <div>[[File:datacenter.png|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Harvard Gazette]]DATA CENTERS. In 2026 Dubuque joined the national debate centered on whether to construct a data center. Interest / concern resulted in a questionnaire mailed to each household in the community asking for input before the city council and county supervisors made a decision. <br /> <br /> '''What is a Data Center?''' The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 defined a data center as &quot;any facility that primarily contains electronic equipment used to process, store, and transmit digital information.&quot; This includes &quot;a free-standing structure&quot; or &quot;a facility within a larger structure, that uses environmental control equipment to maintain the proper conditions for the operation of electronic equipment.&quot; According to IBM, data centers date back to the 1940s; the U.S. military's Electrical Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC) was an early example. (1)<br /> <br /> Over the years, computers became more size-efficient, requiring less physical space. In the 1990s, microcomputers drastically reduced the amount of space needed for IT operations. Microcomputers that began filling old mainframe computer rooms became known as “servers.” The rooms became known as “data centers.”<br /> <br /> The advent of cloud computing in the early 2000s significantly disrupted the traditional data center landscape. Cloud services allowed organizations to access computing resources on-demand, over the internet, with pay-per-use pricing—enabling the flexibility to scale up or down as needed. In 2006, Google launched the first hyperscale data center in The Dalles, Oregon. This facility by 2025 occupied 1.3 million square feet of space and employed a staff of approximately 200 data center operators. <br /> <br /> A study from McKinsey &amp; Company projects the industry to grow at 10% a year through 2030, with global spending on the construction of new facilities reaching 49 billion U.S. dollars. (2)<br /> <br /> There are different types of data center facilities. A single company might use more than one type, depending on workloads and business needs.<br /> <br /> This Enterprise Data Center hosts all IT infrastructure and data on-premises. This model provides have more control over information security and can more easily comply with regulations like the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the US Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The company is responsible for all use, monitoring and management tasks.<br /> <br /> Cloud data centers (also called cloud computing data centers) house IT infrastructure for shared use by multiple customers—from scores to millions—through an internet connection. Many of the largest cloud data centers—called hyperscale data centers—are run by major cloud service providers (CSPs), including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform, IBM Cloud and Microsoft Azure. These companies have major data centers in every region of the world. For example, IBM operates over 60 IBM Cloud Data Centers in various locations around the world.<br /> <br /> Hyperscale data centers are larger than traditional data centers and can cover millions of square feet. They typically contain at least 5,000 servers and miles of connection equipment. They can sometimes be as large as 60,000 square feet.<br /> <br /> Cloud service providers typically maintain smaller, edge data centers (EDCs) located closer to cloud customers (and cloud customers’ customers). Edge data centers form the foundation for edge computing, a distributed computing framework that brings applications closer to end users. Edge data centers are ideal for real-time, data-intensive workloads like big data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and content delivery. They help minimize latency, the time it takes for data to travel from one point to another, improving the application performance and customer experience. (3)<br /> <br /> Clean Energy Group hosted a webinar on the hazards of rapid data center development and what community groups can do to mitigate harmful data center proposals. KD Minor from the Alliance for Affordable Energy in Louisiana, Julie Bolthouse from the Piedmont Environmental Council in Virginia, and Matthew Shorraw from Physicians for Social Responsibility in Pennsylvania discussed strategies and case studies from their respective states and provided crucial information on how and where to push back.<br /> <br /> '''What Problems Have Been Associated with Data Centers?''' The main takeaways from the discussion were summarized in three points: 1) data center energy use is increasing pollution from fossil fuel power plants, 2) data center development is raising utility bills from power plants and transmission, and 3) data centers use massive amounts of water.<br /> <br /> In Louisiana, the development of a Meta hyperscale data center called “Hyperion” led the local utility to propose three new natural gas power plants. These plans were then expedited by the Louisiana Public Service Commission, skipping the typical proposal review process. The increased gas capacity will be used to meet up to 5 gigawatts (GW) of energy demand from Hyperion, which is twice the amount of electricity used by the entire city of New Orleans on a hot summer day.<br /> <br /> In Virginia, data centers are the main driver behind 28 GW of predicted load growth by 2050. In addition to new baseload gas plants proposed in the region, data centers generally have backup diesel generators on site. In Virginia alone, 9,000 diesel generators spewing harmful pollutants into the air are being used as backup power for data centers.<br /> <br /> Pennsylvania leads the regional grid in energy exports, supplying electricity to data centers both in Pennsylvania and other states in the PJM region. The state’s energy portfolio is dominated by natural gas, with renewable energy only representing 4 percent of generation. Recent initiatives enacted by PJM and Pennsylvania continue to prioritize gas to meet data center-driven demand.<br /> <br /> The current electricity rate structure doesn’t reflect the new phenomenon of data center-driven load growth. Data centers often receive discounted energy and tax rates brokered through private negotiations and strong leverage and influence because of their size. The hopes of increasing jobs has been frequently used to get support for construction. The construction of data centers requires work because these are large construction projects, but that lasts a year or two; sometimes that labor is local and unionized, and sometimes that labor is trade professionals who come in from other states. Once the data center is up and running, it requires very few people, often just 20 to 50 staff members, because the building is not an office for software developers, product managers, or marketing experts. It is a warehouse of servers. (4)<br /> <br /> New transmission lines built to connect data centers to the massive amounts of energy they use are shared among all utility customers, leaving households and businesses with rising utility bills. In Virginia, transmission lines built for data centers cost $12 billion. New transmission lines can also jeopardize trails, riparian buffers, parks, and sometimes homes as utilities call on public and private rights-of-way and utilize eminent domain.<br /> <br /> In Louisiana, Meta initially promised to pay 15 years of the capital costs of the new gas plants and some of the transmission upgrades necessary to power Hyperion. They later lowered their commitment to just four years, even though ratepayers will be paying back the costs of these investments for over 30 years.<br /> <br /> In Loudon County, Virginia, data centers make up 10 percent of all water use. Their demand spikes during the hottest months, when rivers are already running low. To cool the Hyperion hyperscale data center in Louisiana, Meta requested to withdraw a total of 5.6 million gallons of water every day from local sources. (5)<br /> <br /> Large data centers require significant energy to power their operations, leading to concerns about the large use of energy. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimated that electricity consumption from these data centers amounts to around 415 terawatt hours (TWh), about 1.5% of global electricity consumption in 2024, at a growth rate of 12% per year over the last five years. The IEA projects this amount could double to reach around 945 TWh by 2030, growing by around 15% per year. [11] In the U.S. alone, power consumption by data centers will be &quot;almost half of the growth in electricity demand between now and 2030.&quot; According to Terry Nguyen and Ben Green of the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition, a single data center can &quot;consume up to 2 megawatt hours (MWh),&quot; the same as &quot;the equivalent power consumption of a small town.&quot; This includes increased electricity costs.<br /> <br /> According to a study in the academic journal '''Npj Clean Water''', it was estimated that data centers consumed about 1.7 billion liters of water per day in 2021, with 57% drawn from potable supplies, noting that fewer than one-third of operators measured their water use. A 100-megawatt (MW) data center can use up to 2 million gallons daily. Evaporated water is not returned to the local water system. Water is also necessary to cool the power plants that provide electricity to data centers. Concerns over environmental impacts, energy and water use, and other costs have led to opposition to new data centers during the AI boom. These movements have been seen in parts of Europe, the U.S., and South America. The first report of '''Data Center Watch''' covered a period from May 2024 to March of 2025, where it was discovered that &quot;local opposition had blocked or delayed a total of $64 billion in data center projects (six projects were blocked entirely, while 10 were delayed).&quot; (6)<br /> <br /> '''Reaction to Data Center Construction''' [[File:datacentermap.png|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Data Center Moratoriums. Online: https://www.datacenterbans.com/]]<br /> <br /> <br /> Since early 2024, more than 1,200 public actions – including zoning fights, public campaigns and temporary moratoriums – have been logged by the '''Data Center Tracker,''' a public U.S. database of community responses to data center site selection. This momentum is leading to political action. In Maine, lawmakers passed a contested bill in spring 2026 that would have imposed the nation’s first statewide moratorium on new data centers. Gov. Janet Mills later vetoed the measure on grounds that it would scuttle a $550 million conversion of the closed Androscoggin Mill in the town of Jay into a data center. Mills said, however, she supported in principle a pause in development and signed separate legislation barring state tax incentives going to data centers. She also pledged to create a council to study the industry statewide. Up to 10 other states are considering similar measures to contain their expansion. (7) On July 14, 2026 Governor Kathy Hochul of New York State signed the first statewide moratorium on new hyperscale data centers. (8)<br /> <br /> '''Data Centers Development in Iowa.''' Tech leaders like Google, Facebook and Microsoft have invested billions in data centers in Iowa. The state ranks #1 in the nation in wind energy as a percentage of total power output (AWEA, 2020), has a stable grid, a high density of telecommunications infrastructure, ranks 18% lower construction costs than national average (NAI Global), and ranks #2 in lowest cost of doing business in the country (Business Facilities, 2017) Iowa is in the &quot;Safe Zone&quot; for low earthquake and blackout risk in Iowa<br /> <br /> [[File:earthquakemap.png|400px|thumb|left|Low earthquake and blackout risk in Iowa. USGS Earthquake Hazard Program<br /> A map of the United States showing Iowa clear of most earthquake and blackout risks, most of which exist in the south and west of the state of Iowa.Courtesy: Iowa Economic &amp; Finance Authority]]<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Top 19 Cities with Data Centers (Courtesy: https://www.datacenters.com/locations/united-states/iowa<br /> <br /> Council Bluffs 4 Altoona 4 West Des Moines 3 Des Moines 3 Monticello 2 Marion 2 Cedar Rapids 2 Davenport 2 Pleasant Hill 1 Bettendorf 1<br /> <br /> Cedar Falls 1 Waukee 1 Van Meter 1 Cumming 1 Dubuque 1 Ankeny 1 Waterloo 1 Urbandale 1 Buffalo 1<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ---<br /> <br /> Source:<br /> <br /> 1. &quot;Data Center,&quot; Wikipedia<br /> <br /> 2. &quot;What is a Data Center?&quot; IBM, Online: https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/data-centers<br /> <br /> 3. Ibid.<br /> <br /> 4. Mineo, Liz, &quot;Why are Communities Pushing Back Against Data Centers?&quot; The Harvard Gazette, Online: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2026/04/why-are-communities-pushing-back-against-data-centers/<br /> <br /> 5. Morgan, Eva, &quot;Three of the Biggest Harms from Irresponsible Data Center Development—and What Communities Can Do to Fight Back,&quot; Online: https://www.cleanegroup.org/data-center-development/ November 20, 2025<br /> <br /> 6. &quot;Data Center''<br /> <br /> 7. Yue, Daniel and Yiyang, Zeng,&quot;Why Better‑off Cities and Towns See More Benefits From Data Centers Than Rural Regions &quot; theConversation.com Online: https://theconversation.com/why-better-off-cities-and-towns-see-more-benefits-from-data-centers-than-rural-regions-286750<br /> <br /> 8. &quot;First Statewide Moratorium on New Hyperscale Data Centers Launched by Governor Kathy Hochul,&quot; https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/first-statewide-moratorium-new-hyperscale-data-centers-launched-governor-kathy-hochul</div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=DATA_CENTERS&diff=187710 2026-07-17T04:05:02Z

<p>Randylyon: </p> <hr /> <div>[[File:datacenter.png|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Harvard Gazette]]DATA CENTERS. In 2026 Dubuque joined the national debate centered on whether to construct a data center. Interest / concern resulted in a questionnaire mailed to each household in the community asking for input before the city council and county supervisors made a decision. <br /> <br /> '''What is a Data Center?''' The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 defined a data center as &quot;any facility that primarily contains electronic equipment used to process, store, and transmit digital information.&quot; This includes &quot;a free-standing structure&quot; or &quot;a facility within a larger structure, that uses environmental control equipment to maintain the proper conditions for the operation of electronic equipment.&quot; According to IBM, data centers date back to the 1940s; the U.S. military's Electrical Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC) was an early example. (1)<br /> <br /> Over the years, computers became more size-efficient, requiring less physical space. In the 1990s, microcomputers drastically reduced the amount of space needed for IT operations. Microcomputers that began filling old mainframe computer rooms became known as “servers.” The rooms became known as “data centers.”<br /> <br /> The advent of cloud computing in the early 2000s significantly disrupted the traditional data center landscape. Cloud services allowed organizations to access computing resources on-demand, over the internet, with pay-per-use pricing—enabling the flexibility to scale up or down as needed. In 2006, Google launched the first hyperscale data center in The Dalles, Oregon. This facility by 2025 occupied 1.3 million square feet of space and employed a staff of approximately 200 data center operators. <br /> <br /> A study from McKinsey &amp; Company projects the industry to grow at 10% a year through 2030, with global spending on the construction of new facilities reaching 49 billion U.S. dollars. (2)<br /> <br /> There are different types of data center facilities. A single company might use more than one type, depending on workloads and business needs.<br /> <br /> This Enterprise Data Center hosts all IT infrastructure and data on-premises. This model provides have more control over information security and can more easily comply with regulations like the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the US Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The company is responsible for all use, monitoring and management tasks.<br /> <br /> Cloud data centers (also called cloud computing data centers) house IT infrastructure for shared use by multiple customers—from scores to millions—through an internet connection. Many of the largest cloud data centers—called hyperscale data centers—are run by major cloud service providers (CSPs), including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform, IBM Cloud and Microsoft Azure. These companies have major data centers in every region of the world. For example, IBM operates over 60 IBM Cloud Data Centers in various locations around the world.<br /> <br /> Hyperscale data centers are larger than traditional data centers and can cover millions of square feet. They typically contain at least 5,000 servers and miles of connection equipment. They can sometimes be as large as 60,000 square feet.<br /> <br /> Cloud service providers typically maintain smaller, edge data centers (EDCs) located closer to cloud customers (and cloud customers’ customers). Edge data centers form the foundation for edge computing, a distributed computing framework that brings applications closer to end users. Edge data centers are ideal for real-time, data-intensive workloads like big data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and content delivery. They help minimize latency, the time it takes for data to travel from one point to another, improving the application performance and customer experience. (3)<br /> <br /> Clean Energy Group hosted a webinar on the hazards of rapid data center development and what community groups can do to mitigate harmful data center proposals. KD Minor from the Alliance for Affordable Energy in Louisiana, Julie Bolthouse from the Piedmont Environmental Council in Virginia, and Matthew Shorraw from Physicians for Social Responsibility in Pennsylvania discussed strategies and case studies from their respective states and provided crucial information on how and where to push back.<br /> <br /> '''What Problems Have Been Associated with Data Centers?''' The main takeaways from the discussion were summarized in three points: 1) data center energy use is increasing pollution from fossil fuel power plants, 2) data center development is raising utility bills from power plants and transmission, and 3) data centers use massive amounts of water.<br /> <br /> In Louisiana, the development of a Meta hyperscale data center called “Hyperion” led the local utility to propose three new natural gas power plants. These plans were then expedited by the Louisiana Public Service Commission, skipping the typical proposal review process. The increased gas capacity will be used to meet up to 5 gigawatts (GW) of energy demand from Hyperion, which is twice the amount of electricity used by the entire city of New Orleans on a hot summer day.<br /> <br /> In Virginia, data centers are the main driver behind 28 GW of predicted load growth by 2050. In addition to new baseload gas plants proposed in the region, data centers generally have backup diesel generators on site. In Virginia alone, 9,000 diesel generators spewing harmful pollutants into the air are being used as backup power for data centers.<br /> <br /> Pennsylvania leads the regional grid in energy exports, supplying electricity to data centers both in Pennsylvania and other states in the PJM region. The state’s energy portfolio is dominated by natural gas, with renewable energy only representing 4 percent of generation. Recent initiatives enacted by PJM and Pennsylvania continue to prioritize gas to meet data center-driven demand.<br /> <br /> The current electricity rate structure doesn’t reflect the new phenomenon of data center-driven load growth. Data centers often receive discounted energy and tax rates brokered through private negotiations and strong leverage and influence because of their size. The hopes of increasing jobs has been frequently used to get support for construction. The construction of data centers requires work because these are large construction projects, but that lasts a year or two; sometimes that labor is local and unionized, and sometimes that labor is trade professionals who come in from other states. Once the data center is up and running, it requires very few people, often just 20 to 50 staff members, because the building is not an office for software developers, product managers, or marketing experts. It is a warehouse of servers. (4)<br /> <br /> New transmission lines built to connect data centers to the massive amounts of energy they use are shared among all utility customers, leaving households and businesses with rising utility bills. In Virginia, transmission lines built for data centers cost $12 billion. New transmission lines can also jeopardize trails, riparian buffers, parks, and sometimes homes as utilities call on public and private rights-of-way and utilize eminent domain.<br /> <br /> In Louisiana, Meta initially promised to pay 15 years of the capital costs of the new gas plants and some of the transmission upgrades necessary to power Hyperion. They later lowered their commitment to just four years, even though ratepayers will be paying back the costs of these investments for over 30 years.<br /> <br /> In Loudon County, Virginia, data centers make up 10 percent of all water use. Their demand spikes during the hottest months, when rivers are already running low. To cool the Hyperion hyperscale data center in Louisiana, Meta requested to withdraw a total of 5.6 million gallons of water every day from local sources. (5)<br /> <br /> Large data centers require significant energy to power their operations, leading to concerns about the large use of energy. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimated that electricity consumption from these data centers amounts to around 415 terawatt hours (TWh), about 1.5% of global electricity consumption in 2024, at a growth rate of 12% per year over the last five years. The IEA projects this amount could double to reach around 945 TWh by 2030, growing by around 15% per year. [11] In the U.S. alone, power consumption by data centers will be &quot;almost half of the growth in electricity demand between now and 2030.&quot; According to Terry Nguyen and Ben Green of the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition, a single data center can &quot;consume up to 2 megawatt hours (MWh),&quot; the same as &quot;the equivalent power consumption of a small town.&quot; This includes increased electricity costs.<br /> <br /> According to a study in the academic journal '''Npj Clean Water''', it was estimated that data centers consumed about 1.7 billion liters of water per day in 2021, with 57% drawn from potable supplies, noting that fewer than one-third of operators measured their water use. A 100-megawatt (MW) data center can use up to 2 million gallons daily. Evaporated water is not returned to the local water system. Water is also necessary to cool the power plants that provide electricity to data centers. Concerns over environmental impacts, energy and water use, and other costs have led to opposition to new data centers during the AI boom. These movements have been seen in parts of Europe, the U.S., and South America. The first report of '''Data Center Watch''' covered a period from May 2024 to March of 2025, where it was discovered that &quot;local opposition had blocked or delayed a total of $64 billion in data center projects (six projects were blocked entirely, while 10 were delayed).&quot; (6)<br /> <br /> '''Reaction to Data Center Construction''' [[File:datacentermap.png|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Data Center Moratoriums. Online: https://www.datacenterbans.com/]]<br /> <br /> <br /> Since early 2024, more than 1,200 public actions – including zoning fights, public campaigns and temporary moratoriums – have been logged by the '''Data Center Tracker,''' a public U.S. database of community responses to data center site selection. This momentum is leading to political action. In Maine, lawmakers passed a contested bill in spring 2026 that would have imposed the nation’s first statewide moratorium on new data centers. Gov. Janet Mills later vetoed the measure on grounds that it would scuttle a $550 million conversion of the closed Androscoggin Mill in the town of Jay into a data center. Mills said, however, she supported in principle a pause in development and signed separate legislation barring state tax incentives going to data centers. She also pledged to create a council to study the industry statewide. Up to 10 other states are considering similar measures to contain their expansion. (7) On July 14, 2026 Governor Kathy Hochul of New York State signed the first statewide moratorium on new hyperscale data centers. (8)<br /> <br /> '''Data Centers Development in Iowa.''' Tech leaders like Google, Facebook and Microsoft have invested billions in data centers in Iowa. The state ranks #1 in the nation in wind energy as a percentage of total power output (AWEA, 2020), has a stable grid, a high density of telecommunications infrastructure, ranks 18% lower construction costs than national average (NAI Global), and ranks #2 in lowest cost of doing business in the country (Business Facilities, 2017) <br /> <br /> Iowa is in the Safe Zone for low earthquake and blackout risk in Iowa<br /> <br /> [[File:earthquakemap.png|400px|thumb|left|Low earthquake and blackout risk in Iowa. USGS Earthquake Hazard Program<br /> A map of the United States showing Iowa clear of most earthquake and blackout risks, most of which exist in the south and west of the state of Iowa.Courtesy: Iowa Economic &amp; Finance Authority]]<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Top 19 Cities with Data Centers (Courtesy: https://www.datacenters.com/locations/united-states/iowa<br /> <br /> Council Bluffs 4 Altoona 4 West Des Moines 3 Des Moines 3 Monticello 2 Marion 2 Cedar Rapids 2 Davenport 2 Pleasant Hill 1 Bettendorf 1<br /> <br /> Cedar Falls 1 Waukee 1 Van Meter 1 Cumming 1 Dubuque 1 Ankeny 1 Waterloo 1 Urbandale 1 Buffalo 1<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ---<br /> <br /> Source:<br /> <br /> 1. &quot;Data Center,&quot; Wikipedia<br /> <br /> 2. &quot;What is a Data Center?&quot; IBM, Online: https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/data-centers<br /> <br /> 3. Ibid.<br /> <br /> 4. Mineo, Liz, &quot;Why are Communities Pushing Back Against Data Centers?&quot; The Harvard Gazette, Online: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2026/04/why-are-communities-pushing-back-against-data-centers/<br /> <br /> 5. Morgan, Eva, &quot;Three of the Biggest Harms from Irresponsible Data Center Development—and What Communities Can Do to Fight Back,&quot; Online: https://www.cleanegroup.org/data-center-development/ November 20, 2025<br /> <br /> 6. &quot;Data Center''<br /> <br /> 7. Yue, Daniel and Yiyang, Zeng,&quot;Why Better‑off Cities and Towns See More Benefits From Data Centers Than Rural Regions &quot; theConversation.com Online: https://theconversation.com/why-better-off-cities-and-towns-see-more-benefits-from-data-centers-than-rural-regions-286750<br /> <br /> 8. &quot;First Statewide Moratorium on New Hyperscale Data Centers Launched by Governor Kathy Hochul,&quot; https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/first-statewide-moratorium-new-hyperscale-data-centers-launched-governor-kathy-hochul</div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=DATA_CENTERS&diff=187709 2026-07-17T04:02:58Z

<p>Randylyon: </p> <hr /> <div>[[File:datacenter.png|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Harvard Gazette]]DATA CENTERS. In 2026 Dubuque joined the national debate centered on whether to construct a data center. Interest / concern resulted in a questionnaire mailed to each household in the community asking for input before the city council and county supervisors made a decision. <br /> <br /> '''What is a Data Center?''' The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 defined a data center as &quot;any facility that primarily contains electronic equipment used to process, store, and transmit digital information.&quot; This includes &quot;a free-standing structure&quot; or &quot;a facility within a larger structure, that uses environmental control equipment to maintain the proper conditions for the operation of electronic equipment.&quot; According to IBM, data centers date back to the 1940s; the U.S. military's Electrical Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC) was an early example. (1)<br /> <br /> Over the years, computers became more size-efficient, requiring less physical space. In the 1990s, microcomputers drastically reduced the amount of space needed for IT operations. Microcomputers that began filling old mainframe computer rooms became known as “servers.” The rooms became known as “data centers.”<br /> <br /> The advent of cloud computing in the early 2000s significantly disrupted the traditional data center landscape. Cloud services allowed organizations to access computing resources on-demand, over the internet, with pay-per-use pricing—enabling the flexibility to scale up or down as needed. In 2006, Google launched the first hyperscale data center in The Dalles, Oregon. This facility by 2025 occupied 1.3 million square feet of space and employed a staff of approximately 200 data center operators. <br /> <br /> A study from McKinsey &amp; Company projects the industry to grow at 10% a year through 2030, with global spending on the construction of new facilities reaching 49 billion U.S. dollars. (2)<br /> <br /> There are different types of data center facilities. A single company might use more than one type, depending on workloads and business needs.<br /> <br /> This Enterprise Data Center hosts all IT infrastructure and data on-premises. This model provides have more control over information security and can more easily comply with regulations like the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the US Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The company is responsible for all use, monitoring and management tasks.<br /> <br /> Cloud data centers (also called cloud computing data centers) house IT infrastructure for shared use by multiple customers—from scores to millions—through an internet connection. Many of the largest cloud data centers—called hyperscale data centers—are run by major cloud service providers (CSPs), including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform, IBM Cloud and Microsoft Azure. These companies have major data centers in every region of the world. For example, IBM operates over 60 IBM Cloud Data Centers in various locations around the world.<br /> <br /> Hyperscale data centers are larger than traditional data centers and can cover millions of square feet. They typically contain at least 5,000 servers and miles of connection equipment. They can sometimes be as large as 60,000 square feet.<br /> <br /> Cloud service providers typically maintain smaller, edge data centers (EDCs) located closer to cloud customers (and cloud customers’ customers). Edge data centers form the foundation for edge computing, a distributed computing framework that brings applications closer to end users. Edge data centers are ideal for real-time, data-intensive workloads like big data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and content delivery. They help minimize latency, the time it takes for data to travel from one point to another, improving the application performance and customer experience. (3)<br /> <br /> Clean Energy Group hosted a webinar on the hazards of rapid data center development and what community groups can do to mitigate harmful data center proposals. KD Minor from the Alliance for Affordable Energy in Louisiana, Julie Bolthouse from the Piedmont Environmental Council in Virginia, and Matthew Shorraw from Physicians for Social Responsibility in Pennsylvania discussed strategies and case studies from their respective states and provided crucial information on how and where to push back.<br /> <br /> '''What Problems Have Been Associated with Data Centers?''' The main takeaways from the discussion were summarized in three points: 1) data center energy use is increasing pollution from fossil fuel power plants, 2) data center development is raising utility bills from power plants and transmission, and 3) data centers use massive amounts of water.<br /> <br /> In Louisiana, the development of a Meta hyperscale data center called “Hyperion” led the local utility to propose three new natural gas power plants. These plans were then expedited by the Louisiana Public Service Commission, skipping the typical proposal review process. The increased gas capacity will be used to meet up to 5 gigawatts (GW) of energy demand from Hyperion, which is twice the amount of electricity used by the entire city of New Orleans on a hot summer day.<br /> <br /> In Virginia, data centers are the main driver behind 28 GW of predicted load growth by 2050. In addition to new baseload gas plants proposed in the region, data centers generally have backup diesel generators on site. In Virginia alone, 9,000 diesel generators spewing harmful pollutants into the air are being used as backup power for data centers.<br /> <br /> Pennsylvania leads the regional grid in energy exports, supplying electricity to data centers both in Pennsylvania and other states in the PJM region. The state’s energy portfolio is dominated by natural gas, with renewable energy only representing 4 percent of generation. Recent initiatives enacted by PJM and Pennsylvania continue to prioritize gas to meet data center-driven demand.<br /> <br /> The current electricity rate structure doesn’t reflect the new phenomenon of data center-driven load growth. Data centers often receive discounted energy and tax rates brokered through private negotiations and strong leverage and influence because of their size. The hopes of increasing jobs has been frequently used to get support for construction. The construction of data centers requires work because these are large construction projects, but that lasts a year or two; sometimes that labor is local and unionized, and sometimes that labor is trade professionals who come in from other states. Once the data center is up and running, it requires very few people, often just 20 to 50 staff members, because the building is not an office for software developers, product managers, or marketing experts. It is a warehouse of servers. (4)<br /> <br /> New transmission lines built to connect data centers to the massive amounts of energy they use are shared among all utility customers, leaving households and businesses with rising utility bills. In Virginia, transmission lines built for data centers cost $12 billion. New transmission lines can also jeopardize trails, riparian buffers, parks, and sometimes homes as utilities call on public and private rights-of-way and utilize eminent domain.<br /> <br /> In Louisiana, Meta initially promised to pay 15 years of the capital costs of the new gas plants and some of the transmission upgrades necessary to power Hyperion. They later lowered their commitment to just four years, even though ratepayers will be paying back the costs of these investments for over 30 years.<br /> <br /> In Loudon County, Virginia, data centers make up 10 percent of all water use. Their demand spikes during the hottest months, when rivers are already running low. To cool the Hyperion hyperscale data center in Louisiana, Meta requested to withdraw a total of 5.6 million gallons of water every day from local sources. (5)<br /> <br /> Large data centers require significant energy to power their operations, leading to concerns about the large use of energy. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimated that electricity consumption from these data centers amounts to around 415 terawatt hours (TWh), about 1.5% of global electricity consumption in 2024, at a growth rate of 12% per year over the last five years. The IEA projects this amount could double to reach around 945 TWh by 2030, growing by around 15% per year. [11] In the U.S. alone, power consumption by data centers will be &quot;almost half of the growth in electricity demand between now and 2030.&quot; According to Terry Nguyen and Ben Green of the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition, a single data center can &quot;consume up to 2 megawatt hours (MWh),&quot; the same as &quot;the equivalent power consumption of a small town.&quot; This includes increased electricity costs.<br /> <br /> According to a study in the academic journal '''Npj Clean Water''', it was estimated that data centers consumed about 1.7 billion liters of water per day in 2021, with 57% drawn from potable supplies, noting that fewer than one-third of operators measured their water use. A 100-megawatt (MW) data center can use up to 2 million gallons daily. Evaporated water is not returned to the local water system. Water is also necessary to cool the power plants that provide electricity to data centers. Concerns over environmental impacts, energy and water use, and other costs have led to opposition to new data centers during the AI boom. These movements have been seen in parts of Europe, the U.S., and South America. The first report of '''Data Center Watch''' covered a period from May 2024 to March of 2025, where it was discovered that &quot;local opposition had blocked or delayed a total of $64 billion in data center projects (six projects were blocked entirely, while 10 were delayed).&quot; (6)<br /> <br /> '''Reaction to Data Center Construction''' [[File:datacentermap.png|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Data Center Moratoriums. Online: https://www.datacenterbans.com/]]<br /> <br /> <br /> Since early 2024, more than 1,200 public actions – including zoning fights, public campaigns and temporary moratoriums – have been logged by the '''Data Center Tracker,''' a public U.S. database of community responses to data center site selection. This momentum is leading to political action. In Maine, lawmakers passed a contested bill in spring 2026 that would have imposed the nation’s first statewide moratorium on new data centers. Gov. Janet Mills later vetoed the measure on grounds that it would scuttle a $550 million conversion of the closed Androscoggin Mill in the town of Jay into a data center. Mills said, however, she supported in principle a pause in development and signed separate legislation barring state tax incentives going to data centers. She also pledged to create a council to study the industry statewide. Up to 10 other states are considering similar measures to contain their expansion. (7) On July 14, 2026 Governor Kathy Hochul of New York State signed the first statewide moratorium on new hyperscale data centers. (8)<br /> <br /> '''Data Centers Development in Iowa.''' Tech leaders like Google, Facebook and Microsoft have invested billions in data centers in Iowa. The state ranks #1 in the nation in wind energy as a percentage of total power output (AWEA, 2020), has a stable grid, a high density of telecommunications infrastructure, ranks 18% lower construction costs than national average (NAI Global), and ranks #2 in lowest cost of doing business in the country (Business Facilities, 2017) <br /> <br /> Iowa is in the Safe Zone for low earthquake and blackout risk in Iowa<br /> <br /> [[File:earthquakemap.png|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Iowa Economic &amp; Finance Authority]]<br /> <br /> USGS Earthquake Hazard Program<br /> A map of the United States showing Iowa clear of most earthquake and blackout risks, most of which exist in the south and west of the state of Iowa.<br /> <br /> Top 19 Cities with Data Centers (Courtesy: https://www.datacenters.com/locations/united-states/iowa<br /> <br /> Council Bluffs 4 Altoona 4 West Des Moines 3 Des Moines 3 Monticello 2 Marion 2 Cedar Rapids 2 Davenport 2 Pleasant Hill 1 Bettendorf 1<br /> <br /> Cedar Falls 1 Waukee 1 Van Meter 1 Cumming 1 Dubuque 1 Ankeny 1 Waterloo 1 Urbandale 1 Buffalo 1<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ---<br /> <br /> Source:<br /> <br /> 1. &quot;Data Center,&quot; Wikipedia<br /> <br /> 2. &quot;What is a Data Center?&quot; IBM, Online: https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/data-centers<br /> <br /> 3. Ibid.<br /> <br /> 4. Mineo, Liz, &quot;Why are Communities Pushing Back Against Data Centers?&quot; The Harvard Gazette, Online: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2026/04/why-are-communities-pushing-back-against-data-centers/<br /> <br /> 5. Morgan, Eva, &quot;Three of the Biggest Harms from Irresponsible Data Center Development—and What Communities Can Do to Fight Back,&quot; Online: https://www.cleanegroup.org/data-center-development/ November 20, 2025<br /> <br /> 6. &quot;Data Center''<br /> <br /> 7. Yue, Daniel and Yiyang, Zeng,&quot;Why Better‑off Cities and Towns See More Benefits From Data Centers Than Rural Regions &quot; theConversation.com Online: https://theconversation.com/why-better-off-cities-and-towns-see-more-benefits-from-data-centers-than-rural-regions-286750<br /> <br /> 8. &quot;First Statewide Moratorium on New Hyperscale Data Centers Launched by Governor Kathy Hochul,&quot; https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/first-statewide-moratorium-new-hyperscale-data-centers-launched-governor-kathy-hochul</div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=DATA_CENTERS&diff=187708 2026-07-17T04:01:33Z

<p>Randylyon: </p> <hr /> <div>[[File:datacenter.png|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Harvard Gazette]]DATA CENTERS. In 2026 Dubuque joined the national debate centered on whether to construct a data center. Interest / concern resulted in a questionnaire mailed to each household in the community asking for input before the city council and county supervisors made a decision. <br /> <br /> '''What is a Data Center?''' The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 defined a data center as &quot;any facility that primarily contains electronic equipment used to process, store, and transmit digital information.&quot; This includes &quot;a free-standing structure&quot; or &quot;a facility within a larger structure, that uses environmental control equipment to maintain the proper conditions for the operation of electronic equipment.&quot; According to IBM, data centers date back to the 1940s; the U.S. military's Electrical Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC) was an early example. (1)<br /> <br /> Over the years, computers became more size-efficient, requiring less physical space. In the 1990s, microcomputers drastically reduced the amount of space needed for IT operations. Microcomputers that began filling old mainframe computer rooms became known as “servers.” The rooms became known as “data centers.”<br /> <br /> The advent of cloud computing in the early 2000s significantly disrupted the traditional data center landscape. Cloud services allowed organizations to access computing resources on-demand, over the internet, with pay-per-use pricing—enabling the flexibility to scale up or down as needed. In 2006, Google launched the first hyperscale data center in The Dalles, Oregon. This facility by 2025 occupied 1.3 million square feet of space and employed a staff of approximately 200 data center operators. <br /> <br /> A study from McKinsey &amp; Company projects the industry to grow at 10% a year through 2030, with global spending on the construction of new facilities reaching 49 billion U.S. dollars. (2)<br /> <br /> There are different types of data center facilities. A single company might use more than one type, depending on workloads and business needs.<br /> <br /> This Enterprise Data Center hosts all IT infrastructure and data on-premises. This model provides have more control over information security and can more easily comply with regulations like the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the US Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The company is responsible for all use, monitoring and management tasks.<br /> <br /> Cloud data centers (also called cloud computing data centers) house IT infrastructure for shared use by multiple customers—from scores to millions—through an internet connection. Many of the largest cloud data centers—called hyperscale data centers—are run by major cloud service providers (CSPs), including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform, IBM Cloud and Microsoft Azure. These companies have major data centers in every region of the world. For example, IBM operates over 60 IBM Cloud Data Centers in various locations around the world.<br /> <br /> Hyperscale data centers are larger than traditional data centers and can cover millions of square feet. They typically contain at least 5,000 servers and miles of connection equipment. They can sometimes be as large as 60,000 square feet.<br /> <br /> Cloud service providers typically maintain smaller, edge data centers (EDCs) located closer to cloud customers (and cloud customers’ customers). Edge data centers form the foundation for edge computing, a distributed computing framework that brings applications closer to end users. Edge data centers are ideal for real-time, data-intensive workloads like big data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and content delivery. They help minimize latency, the time it takes for data to travel from one point to another, improving the application performance and customer experience. (3)<br /> <br /> Clean Energy Group hosted a webinar on the hazards of rapid data center development and what community groups can do to mitigate harmful data center proposals. KD Minor from the Alliance for Affordable Energy in Louisiana, Julie Bolthouse from the Piedmont Environmental Council in Virginia, and Matthew Shorraw from Physicians for Social Responsibility in Pennsylvania discussed strategies and case studies from their respective states and provided crucial information on how and where to push back.<br /> <br /> '''What Problems Have Been Associated with Data Centers?''' The main takeaways from the discussion were summarized in three points: 1) data center energy use is increasing pollution from fossil fuel power plants, 2) data center development is raising utility bills from power plants and transmission, and 3) data centers use massive amounts of water.<br /> <br /> In Louisiana, the development of a Meta hyperscale data center called “Hyperion” led the local utility to propose three new natural gas power plants. These plans were then expedited by the Louisiana Public Service Commission, skipping the typical proposal review process. The increased gas capacity will be used to meet up to 5 gigawatts (GW) of energy demand from Hyperion, which is twice the amount of electricity used by the entire city of New Orleans on a hot summer day.<br /> <br /> In Virginia, data centers are the main driver behind 28 GW of predicted load growth by 2050. In addition to new baseload gas plants proposed in the region, data centers generally have backup diesel generators on site. In Virginia alone, 9,000 diesel generators spewing harmful pollutants into the air are being used as backup power for data centers.<br /> <br /> Pennsylvania leads the regional grid in energy exports, supplying electricity to data centers both in Pennsylvania and other states in the PJM region. The state’s energy portfolio is dominated by natural gas, with renewable energy only representing 4 percent of generation. Recent initiatives enacted by PJM and Pennsylvania continue to prioritize gas to meet data center-driven demand.<br /> <br /> The current electricity rate structure doesn’t reflect the new phenomenon of data center-driven load growth. Data centers often receive discounted energy and tax rates brokered through private negotiations and strong leverage and influence because of their size. The hopes of increasing jobs has been frequently used to get support for construction. The construction of data centers requires work because these are large construction projects, but that lasts a year or two; sometimes that labor is local and unionized, and sometimes that labor is trade professionals who come in from other states. Once the data center is up and running, it requires very few people, often just 20 to 50 staff members, because the building is not an office for software developers, product managers, or marketing experts. It is a warehouse of servers. (4)<br /> <br /> New transmission lines built to connect data centers to the massive amounts of energy they use are shared among all utility customers, leaving households and businesses with rising utility bills. In Virginia, transmission lines built for data centers cost $12 billion. New transmission lines can also jeopardize trails, riparian buffers, parks, and sometimes homes as utilities call on public and private rights-of-way and utilize eminent domain.<br /> <br /> In Louisiana, Meta initially promised to pay 15 years of the capital costs of the new gas plants and some of the transmission upgrades necessary to power Hyperion. They later lowered their commitment to just four years, even though ratepayers will be paying back the costs of these investments for over 30 years.<br /> <br /> In Loudon County, Virginia, data centers make up 10 percent of all water use. Their demand spikes during the hottest months, when rivers are already running low. To cool the Hyperion hyperscale data center in Louisiana, Meta requested to withdraw a total of 5.6 million gallons of water every day from local sources. (5)<br /> <br /> Large data centers require significant energy to power their operations, leading to concerns about the large use of energy. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimated that electricity consumption from these data centers amounts to around 415 terawatt hours (TWh), about 1.5% of global electricity consumption in 2024, at a growth rate of 12% per year over the last five years. The IEA projects this amount could double to reach around 945 TWh by 2030, growing by around 15% per year. [11] In the U.S. alone, power consumption by data centers will be &quot;almost half of the growth in electricity demand between now and 2030.&quot; According to Terry Nguyen and Ben Green of the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition, a single data center can &quot;consume up to 2 megawatt hours (MWh),&quot; the same as &quot;the equivalent power consumption of a small town.&quot; This includes increased electricity costs.<br /> <br /> According to a study in the academic journal '''Npj Clean Water''', it was estimated that data centers consumed about 1.7 billion liters of water per day in 2021, with 57% drawn from potable supplies, noting that fewer than one-third of operators measured their water use. A 100-megawatt (MW) data center can use up to 2 million gallons daily. Evaporated water is not returned to the local water system. Water is also necessary to cool the power plants that provide electricity to data centers. Concerns over environmental impacts, energy and water use, and other costs have led to opposition to new data centers during the AI boom. These movements have been seen in parts of Europe, the U.S., and South America. The first report of '''Data Center Watch''' covered a period from May 2024 to March of 2025, where it was discovered that &quot;local opposition had blocked or delayed a total of $64 billion in data center projects (six projects were blocked entirely, while 10 were delayed).&quot; (6)<br /> <br /> '''Reaction to Data Center Construction''' [[File:datacentermap.png|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Data Center Moratoriums. Online: https://www.datacenterbans.com/]]<br /> <br /> <br /> Since early 2024, more than 1,200 public actions – including zoning fights, public campaigns and temporary moratoriums – have been logged by the '''Data Center Tracker,''' a public U.S. database of community responses to data center site selection. This momentum is leading to political action. In Maine, lawmakers passed a contested bill in spring 2026 that would have imposed the nation’s first statewide moratorium on new data centers. Gov. Janet Mills later vetoed the measure on grounds that it would scuttle a $550 million conversion of the closed Androscoggin Mill in the town of Jay into a data center. Mills said, however, she supported in principle a pause in development and signed separate legislation barring state tax incentives going to data centers. She also pledged to create a council to study the industry statewide. Up to 10 other states are considering similar measures to contain their expansion. (7) On July 14, 2026 Governor Kathy Hochul of New York State signed the first statewide moratorium on new hyperscale data centers. (8)<br /> <br /> '''Data Centers Development in Iowa.''' Tech leaders like Google, Facebook and Microsoft have invested billions in data centers in Iowa. The state ranks #1 in the nation in wind energy as a percentage of total power output (AWEA, 2020), has a stable grid, a high density of telecommunications infrastructure, ranks 18% lower construction costs than national average (NAI Global), and ranks #2 in lowest cost of doing business in the country (Business Facilities, 2017) <br /> <br /> Iowa is in the Safe Zone Low earthquake and blackout risk in Iowa<br /> <br /> [[File:earthquakemap.png|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Iowa Economic &amp; Finance Authority]]<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> USGS Earthquake Hazard Program<br /> A map of the United States showing Iowa clear of most earthquake and blackout risks, most of which exist in the south and west of the state of Iowa.<br /> <br /> Top 19 Cities with Data Centers (Courtesy: https://www.datacenters.com/locations/united-states/iowa<br /> <br /> Council Bluffs 4 Altoona 4 West Des Moines 3 Des Moines 3 Monticello 2 Marion 2 Cedar Rapids 2 Davenport 2 Pleasant Hill 1 Bettendorf 1<br /> <br /> Cedar Falls 1 Waukee 1 Van Meter 1 Cumming 1 Dubuque 1 Ankeny 1 Waterloo 1 Urbandale 1 Buffalo 1<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ---<br /> <br /> Source:<br /> <br /> 1. &quot;Data Center,&quot; Wikipedia<br /> <br /> 2. &quot;What is a Data Center?&quot; IBM, Online: https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/data-centers<br /> <br /> 3. Ibid.<br /> <br /> 4. Mineo, Liz, &quot;Why are Communities Pushing Back Against Data Centers?&quot; The Harvard Gazette, Online: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2026/04/why-are-communities-pushing-back-against-data-centers/<br /> <br /> 5. Morgan, Eva, &quot;Three of the Biggest Harms from Irresponsible Data Center Development—and What Communities Can Do to Fight Back,&quot; Online: https://www.cleanegroup.org/data-center-development/ November 20, 2025<br /> <br /> 6. &quot;Data Center''<br /> <br /> 7. Yue, Daniel and Yiyang, Zeng,&quot;Why Better‑off Cities and Towns See More Benefits From Data Centers Than Rural Regions &quot; theConversation.com Online: https://theconversation.com/why-better-off-cities-and-towns-see-more-benefits-from-data-centers-than-rural-regions-286750<br /> <br /> 8. &quot;First Statewide Moratorium on New Hyperscale Data Centers Launched by Governor Kathy Hochul,&quot; https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/first-statewide-moratorium-new-hyperscale-data-centers-launched-governor-kathy-hochul</div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=DATA_CENTERS&diff=187707 2026-07-17T03:55:01Z

<p>Randylyon: </p> <hr /> <div>[[File:datacenter.png|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Harvard Gazette]]DATA CENTERS. In 2026 Dubuque joined the national debate centered on whether to construct a data center. Interest / concern resulted in a questionnaire mailed to each household in the community asking for input before the city council and county supervisors made a decision. <br /> <br /> '''What is a Data Center?''' The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 defined a data center as &quot;any facility that primarily contains electronic equipment used to process, store, and transmit digital information.&quot; This includes &quot;a free-standing structure&quot; or &quot;a facility within a larger structure, that uses environmental control equipment to maintain the proper conditions for the operation of electronic equipment.&quot; According to IBM, data centers date back to the 1940s; the U.S. military's Electrical Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC) was an early example. (1)<br /> <br /> Over the years, computers became more size-efficient, requiring less physical space. In the 1990s, microcomputers drastically reduced the amount of space needed for IT operations. Microcomputers that began filling old mainframe computer rooms became known as “servers.” The rooms became known as “data centers.”<br /> <br /> The advent of cloud computing in the early 2000s significantly disrupted the traditional data center landscape. Cloud services allowed organizations to access computing resources on-demand, over the internet, with pay-per-use pricing—enabling the flexibility to scale up or down as needed. In 2006, Google launched the first hyperscale data center in The Dalles, Oregon. This facility by 2025 occupied 1.3 million square feet of space and employed a staff of approximately 200 data center operators. <br /> <br /> A study from McKinsey &amp; Company projects the industry to grow at 10% a year through 2030, with global spending on the construction of new facilities reaching 49 billion U.S. dollars. (2)<br /> <br /> There are different types of data center facilities. A single company might use more than one type, depending on workloads and business needs.<br /> <br /> This Enterprise Data Center hosts all IT infrastructure and data on-premises. This model provides have more control over information security and can more easily comply with regulations like the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the US Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The company is responsible for all use, monitoring and management tasks.<br /> <br /> Cloud data centers (also called cloud computing data centers) house IT infrastructure for shared use by multiple customers—from scores to millions—through an internet connection. Many of the largest cloud data centers—called hyperscale data centers—are run by major cloud service providers (CSPs), including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform, IBM Cloud and Microsoft Azure. These companies have major data centers in every region of the world. For example, IBM operates over 60 IBM Cloud Data Centers in various locations around the world.<br /> <br /> Hyperscale data centers are larger than traditional data centers and can cover millions of square feet. They typically contain at least 5,000 servers and miles of connection equipment. They can sometimes be as large as 60,000 square feet.<br /> <br /> Cloud service providers typically maintain smaller, edge data centers (EDCs) located closer to cloud customers (and cloud customers’ customers). Edge data centers form the foundation for edge computing, a distributed computing framework that brings applications closer to end users. Edge data centers are ideal for real-time, data-intensive workloads like big data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and content delivery. They help minimize latency, the time it takes for data to travel from one point to another, improving the application performance and customer experience. (3)<br /> <br /> Clean Energy Group hosted a webinar on the hazards of rapid data center development and what community groups can do to mitigate harmful data center proposals. KD Minor from the Alliance for Affordable Energy in Louisiana, Julie Bolthouse from the Piedmont Environmental Council in Virginia, and Matthew Shorraw from Physicians for Social Responsibility in Pennsylvania discussed strategies and case studies from their respective states and provided crucial information on how and where to push back.<br /> <br /> '''What Problems Have Been Associated with Data Centers?''' The main takeaways from the discussion were summarized in three points: 1) data center energy use is increasing pollution from fossil fuel power plants, 2) data center development is raising utility bills from power plants and transmission, and 3) data centers use massive amounts of water.<br /> <br /> In Louisiana, the development of a Meta hyperscale data center called “Hyperion” led the local utility to propose three new natural gas power plants. These plans were then expedited by the Louisiana Public Service Commission, skipping the typical proposal review process. The increased gas capacity will be used to meet up to 5 gigawatts (GW) of energy demand from Hyperion, which is twice the amount of electricity used by the entire city of New Orleans on a hot summer day.<br /> <br /> In Virginia, data centers are the main driver behind 28 GW of predicted load growth by 2050. In addition to new baseload gas plants proposed in the region, data centers generally have backup diesel generators on site. In Virginia alone, 9,000 diesel generators spewing harmful pollutants into the air are being used as backup power for data centers.<br /> <br /> Pennsylvania leads the regional grid in energy exports, supplying electricity to data centers both in Pennsylvania and other states in the PJM region. The state’s energy portfolio is dominated by natural gas, with renewable energy only representing 4 percent of generation. Recent initiatives enacted by PJM and Pennsylvania continue to prioritize gas to meet data center-driven demand.<br /> <br /> The current electricity rate structure doesn’t reflect the new phenomenon of data center-driven load growth. Data centers often receive discounted energy and tax rates brokered through private negotiations and strong leverage and influence because of their size. The hopes of increasing jobs has been frequently used to get support for construction. The construction of data centers requires work because these are large construction projects, but that lasts a year or two; sometimes that labor is local and unionized, and sometimes that labor is trade professionals who come in from other states. Once the data center is up and running, it requires very few people, often just 20 to 50 staff members, because the building is not an office for software developers, product managers, or marketing experts. It is a warehouse of servers. (4)<br /> <br /> New transmission lines built to connect data centers to the massive amounts of energy they use are shared among all utility customers, leaving households and businesses with rising utility bills. In Virginia, transmission lines built for data centers cost $12 billion. New transmission lines can also jeopardize trails, riparian buffers, parks, and sometimes homes as utilities call on public and private rights-of-way and utilize eminent domain.<br /> <br /> In Louisiana, Meta initially promised to pay 15 years of the capital costs of the new gas plants and some of the transmission upgrades necessary to power Hyperion. They later lowered their commitment to just four years, even though ratepayers will be paying back the costs of these investments for over 30 years.<br /> <br /> In Loudon County, Virginia, data centers make up 10 percent of all water use. Their demand spikes during the hottest months, when rivers are already running low. To cool the Hyperion hyperscale data center in Louisiana, Meta requested to withdraw a total of 5.6 million gallons of water every day from local sources. (5)<br /> <br /> Large data centers require significant energy to power their operations, leading to concerns about the large use of energy. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimated that electricity consumption from these data centers amounts to around 415 terawatt hours (TWh), about 1.5% of global electricity consumption in 2024, at a growth rate of 12% per year over the last five years. The IEA projects this amount could double to reach around 945 TWh by 2030, growing by around 15% per year. [11] In the U.S. alone, power consumption by data centers will be &quot;almost half of the growth in electricity demand between now and 2030.&quot; According to Terry Nguyen and Ben Green of the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition, a single data center can &quot;consume up to 2 megawatt hours (MWh),&quot; the same as &quot;the equivalent power consumption of a small town.&quot; This includes increased electricity costs.<br /> <br /> According to a study in the academic journal '''Npj Clean Water''', it was estimated that data centers consumed about 1.7 billion liters of water per day in 2021, with 57% drawn from potable supplies, noting that fewer than one-third of operators measured their water use. A 100-megawatt (MW) data center can use up to 2 million gallons daily. Evaporated water is not returned to the local water system. Water is also necessary to cool the power plants that provide electricity to data centers. Concerns over environmental impacts, energy and water use, and other costs have led to opposition to new data centers during the AI boom. These movements have been seen in parts of Europe, the U.S., and South America. The first report of '''Data Center Watch''' covered a period from May 2024 to March of 2025, where it was discovered that &quot;local opposition had blocked or delayed a total of $64 billion in data center projects (six projects were blocked entirely, while 10 were delayed).&quot; (6)<br /> <br /> '''Reaction to Data Center Construction''' [[File:datacentermap.png|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Data Center Moratoriums. Online: https://www.datacenterbans.com/]]<br /> <br /> <br /> Since early 2024, more than 1,200 public actions – including zoning fights, public campaigns and temporary moratoriums – have been logged by the '''Data Center Tracker,''' a public U.S. database of community responses to data center site selection. This momentum is leading to political action. In Maine, lawmakers passed a contested bill in spring 2026 that would have imposed the nation’s first statewide moratorium on new data centers. Gov. Janet Mills later vetoed the measure on grounds that it would scuttle a $550 million conversion of the closed Androscoggin Mill in the town of Jay into a data center. Mills said, however, she supported in principle a pause in development and signed separate legislation barring state tax incentives going to data centers. She also pledged to create a council to study the industry statewide. Up to 10 other states are considering similar measures to contain their expansion. (7) On July 14, 2026 Governor Kathy Hochul of New York State signed the first statewide moratorium on new hyperscale data centers. (8)<br /> <br /> '''Data Centers Development in Iowa.''' Tech leaders like Google, Facebook and Microsoft have invested billions in data centers in Iowa. The state has affordable and ample wind energy, a stable grid, a high density of telecommunications infrastructure and low costs for construction projects.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> #1 in the nation in wind energy as a percentage of total power output (AWEA, 2020)<br /> <br /> 18% lower construction costs than national average (NAI Global)<br /> <br /> #2 lowest cost of doing business in the country (Business Facilities, 2017)<br /> <br /> In the Safe Zone<br /> <br /> [[File:earthquakemap.png|400px|thumb|left|Courtesy: Iowa Economic &amp; Finance Authority]]<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Low earthquake and blackout risk in Iowa<br /> USGS Earthquake Hazard Program<br /> A map of the United States showing Iowa clear of most earthquake and blackout risks, most of which exist in the south and west of the state of Iowa.<br /> <br /> Top 19 Cities with Data Centers (Courtesy: https://www.datacenters.com/locations/united-states/iowa<br /> <br /> Council Bluffs 4 Altoona 4 West Des Moines 3 Des Moines 3 Monticello 2 Marion 2 Cedar Rapids 2 Davenport 2 Pleasant Hill 1 Bettendorf 1<br /> <br /> Cedar Falls 1 Waukee 1 Van Meter 1 Cumming 1 Dubuque 1 Ankeny 1 Waterloo 1 Urbandale 1 Buffalo 1<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ---<br /> <br /> Source:<br /> <br /> 1. &quot;Data Center,&quot; Wikipedia<br /> <br /> 2. &quot;What is a Data Center?&quot; IBM, Online: https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/data-centers<br /> <br /> 3. Ibid.<br /> <br /> 4. Mineo, Liz, &quot;Why are Communities Pushing Back Against Data Centers?&quot; The Harvard Gazette, Online: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2026/04/why-are-communities-pushing-back-against-data-centers/<br /> <br /> 5. Morgan, Eva, &quot;Three of the Biggest Harms from Irresponsible Data Center Development—and What Communities Can Do to Fight Back,&quot; Online: https://www.cleanegroup.org/data-center-development/ November 20, 2025<br /> <br /> 6. &quot;Data Center''<br /> <br /> 7. Yue, Daniel and Yiyang, Zeng,&quot;Why Better‑off Cities and Towns See More Benefits From Data Centers Than Rural Regions &quot; theConversation.com Online: https://theconversation.com/why-better-off-cities-and-towns-see-more-benefits-from-data-centers-than-rural-regions-286750<br /> <br /> 8. &quot;First Statewide Moratorium on New Hyperscale Data Centers Launched by Governor Kathy Hochul,&quot; https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/first-statewide-moratorium-new-hyperscale-data-centers-launched-governor-kathy-hochul</div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=SCHRUP,_Nicholas_Sr._Residence&diff=187706 2026-07-17T03:52:41Z

<p>Randylyon: </p> <hr /> <div>[[Image:100_0398.jpg|left|thumb|350px|]]SCHRUP, Nicholas Sr. Residence. In 1900 this [[QUEEN ANNE ARCHITECTURE]] home was built with an unusual grey pressed brick patterned in contrasting shades. The exterior fixtures include green glazed tile roof, front gable with an elaborate Palladian window, and broad veranda with patterned tile floor. Preserved inside are hand-painted walls and original woodwork.<br /> <br /> Architect [[HEER, Fridolin|Fridolin HEER]], designer of the [[DUBUQUE COUNTY COURTHOUSE]], designed this home for [[SCHRUP, Nicholas J. Sr.|Nicholas J. SCHRUP, Sr.]], Dubuque's leading financial figure at the turn of the century. Schrup founded the [[AMERICAN TRUST AND SAVINGS BANK]], served two terms as state senator, and was knighted by the King of Belgium for his contributions to relief efforts in Belgium during [[WORLD WAR I]].<br /> <br /> [[Image:Mandolin Inn.jpg|left|thumb|350px|]]Mr. Schrup's two unmarried daughters lived in the home until 1950. They then gave the house to the [[ARCHDIOCESE OF DUBUQUE]] as a convent. Since 1972 it has been used as a group home, a law office, and finally apartments and rented rooms. In 1988, the home was purchased, renovated, and redecorated to become The Mandolin Bed and Breakfast Inn. The unique name comes from a picture of a mandolin in a stained glass window near the staircase.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ---<br /> <br /> Source:<br /> <br /> Old House Enthusiasts online<br /> Dubuque City Assessor<br /> <br /> [[Category: Homes]]<br /> [[Category: Architecture]]</div>

Randylyon https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=File:Mandolin_Inn.jpg&diff=187705 2026-07-17T03:51:38Z

<p>Randylyon: </p> <hr /> <div></div>

Randylyon