Third National Listening & Organizing Tour: Wisconsin
The Council is grateful to the many Wisconsinites who welcomed us, organized and supported this tour, including State Party Chair Devin Remiker, WisDems Environmental Caucus Chair Vik Verma, Rebecca Powell Hill, and Liz Blackbourn.
Panel: AAPI Communities and the Environment. University of Wisconsin - Madison.
Chair Deatrick joined a panel on AAPI communities, climate and electoral strategies co-hosted by the College Democrats at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Wisconsin Democratic Party’s AAPI and Environmental Caucuses, and the DNC Council on the Environment and Climate Crisis. Her remarks focused on the disproportionate impact of environmental issues on AAPI communities, and on the importance of the issues to AAPI voters.
AAPI communities overwhelmingly understand the urgency of the environmental and climate crises, with 84% believing climate change is happening, and three-fourths prioritizing environmental protection over economic growth in the long-run. Climate is a key turnout issue for all environmental voters, and should be a key electoral issue. Asian American communities — like other communities of color — face higher exposure to toxic substances regardless of income level.
Briefing: Data Centers. Wisconsin State Capitol. Madison.
Data centers are proliferating in Wisconsin and across the country, and Wisconsin legislators are considering both regulations and possible incentives. At this in-depth information and education session, Chair Deatrick briefed dozens of state legislators, staff and others on the national context and issues surrounding data centers at the Wisconsin State Capitol, speaking alongside representatives of the Union of Concerned Scientists, Midwest Environmental Advocates, Healthy Climate Wisconsin and more.
Testimony: Wisconsin State Legislative Committee on Utilities, Technology, and Tourism. Wisconsin State Capitol. Madison.
At this State Senate Committee hearing on proposed data center regulatory legislation, Deatrick testified regarding the caveats she learned from her 14-state listening tour, and urged the necessity of ironclad guardrails to protect water, air quality, electricity rates and reliability, state and local tax bases, agricultural land and water, and national security. She advised a short-term statewide moratorium while regulations are formulated and approved, and advocated for community input and approval of any proposed project, as well as for transparency, disclosure and ongoing accountability for the full lifetime of any data center.
Watch Chair Deatrick’s testimony.
Winning Ground, Campaigns and the Path Forward. Waukesha County Democrats. Waukesha.
A strategic conversation on climate as a winning issue and how national climate leadership and organizations can support Wisconsin candidates. Candidates, campaign staff and students from Carroll University attended this meeting with Chair Deatrick, hosted by the Waukesha County Democrats and the Wisconsin Democratic Party Environmental Caucus.
Tacos, Mocktails, and Climate: Discussion and Listening with a Purpose. Milwaukee County Democrats. Milwaukee.
Chair Deatrick spoke about the Council’s work and how to connect and participate, followed by listening and learning about the climate and environmental issues impacting participants. Conversation centered on severe PFAS contamination, extreme storms and flooding, air quality issues especially related to ground-level ozone and particulate pollution, and legacy lead pipe service lines.
