Holly Gilvary
RACINE — The city has released public records requested by an environmental group about water usage related to the Microsoft data center in Mount Pleasant, following the group's filing of a lawsuit related to a public records request.
Midwest Environmental Advocates on Monday announced it had filed legal action on behalf of Milwaukee Riverkeeper in Racine County Circuit Court against the City of Racine, claiming the city had failed to respond to a public records request that Milwaukee Riverkeeper made in February.
Milwaukee Riverkeeper is a nonprofit focused on protecting the health of waterways in the Milwaukee River Basin, the release said.
The City of Racine on Wednesday announced that it has released the requested records to Midwest Environmental Associates and that the request "required additional review with Microsoft and associated parties to ensure that the release of information would not violate contractual agreements."
"This due diligence caused a delay; however, the City prioritized both the responsible handling of sensitive information and the ultimate goal of full transparency," the release said.
Wisconsin law requires public officials to respond to public records requests "as soon as practicable and without delay," according to Michael Greif, a legal fellow from Midwest Environmental Advocates.
"More than six months after making their request, our clients are still waiting," Greif said in the release Monday, prior to the city's response. "This blatant disregard for the Public Records Law violates their rights and deprives them of the transparency they deserve. Community members have a right to know how much water a data center will use before it is built."
Racine Mayor Cory Mason said in a statement Wednesday that open and transparent government is "essential to public trust."
"While we needed time to ensure that we handled this request responsibly and in compliance with legal agreements, we believe transparency is paramount," Mason said.
Microsoft's data center campus is currently under construction in Mount Pleasant and subsequent phases are planned. The Racine Water Utility will service the data center under an agreement with the Village of Mount Pleasant.
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