KSNI reports…

St. Cloud city staff are recommending the Planning Commission hold the line on its proposed data center rules, without a cap on water use or a wider buffer from homes.

The commission takes up the city’s first-ever data center rules again Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. at St. Cloud City Hall, after postponing action in September and sending staff back with a list of questions.

In a memo to commissioners, Community Development Director Matt Glaesman says a water cap isn’t needed because every project already gets checked against the city’s water capacity before approval, and the city can require changes or deny a project that threatens supply. St. Cloud’s treatment plant can produce 24 million gallons a day. Average demand is about 8 million, with summer peaks around 15.5 million.

Staff also say widening the buffer between large data centers and homes from a quarter mile to a half mile would wipe out much of the land where one could go. They add that it would bring little added benefit, since any facility must already meet state noise limits at the property line.

Commissioners also asked what a data center could mean for city revenue. The memo doesn’t give a local estimate. It points to Meta’s planned Rosemount facility, which is expected to generate more than $1 million a year in property taxes, and notes that some cities have offered tax breaks to land these projects.

Faribault Daily News reports...

Two city planning commissioners were in agreement. They would not accept the environmental commission’s recommendation to prevent a data center from shining light on any adjoining property. Instead, commissioners suggested the wording revert to only residential properties.

More about the meeting…

When the Faribault City Council directed the environmental and planning commissions to work together to create standards for any data center developments coming into the city, the two bodies sat down in a work session Aug. 17.

It was the only meeting where both bodies worked together.

Two months later, the environmental commission voted to send its recommendations to the planning commission, where it will approve or reject the suggestions made by Lamb and her fellow members.

But Lamb went into the planning commission’s Oct. 5 work session thinking she and other members of the environmental commission would get a chance to explain their recommendations. She left feeling frustrated and worried about the timeline to approve these standards.

“Now that we essentially signed something that says this is our recommendation, we have not been invited to come back and continue the process. So basically, this was our last opportunity. I was told I cannot speak and we no longer can be involved in the process. We’re done,” she said. “We literally had one month to put all our presentation together. But we worked hard and we did what we needed to do. I wish we would have had more time. I’m thinking the public hearing will happen whether they’re ready or not, and that to me is so disheartening, because Faribault citizens deserve better.”

During the two hour meeting, some members of the planning commission were red-faced, others rubbed their temples as King and Planning Manager Harry Davis explained the different recommendations made by the environmental commission. No final decisions were made on Monday and commissioners will continue to deliberate on the environmental commission’s recommendations at its next meeting on Oct. 19.

Northern News Now reports…

Hermantown Mayor Wayne Boucher tabled a vote Thursday on an environmental review for a Minnesota Power transmission line proposed to serve Google’s planned data center.

Residents who spoke in opposition said the city is not complying with a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources shoreline standard related to the project.

“The city is in violation of the shoreline ordinance and Minnesota law, and by passing this tonight, so is the city in violation,” said Clarissa Ek, a Solway Township resident.

Boucher questioned whether the city should approve a resolution referencing an ordinance that is not in compliance.

“We have an ordinance that’s not in compliance, but we are being asked to approve a resolution that refers to the ordinance that’s not in compliance aren’t we a little ahead of ourselves with that?” asked Boucher.

There is no word on when work to address the issue will be completed or when the council may vote again.

National Council of State Legislators reports...

Data center development is drawing increased attention in state legislatures as artificial intelligence and cloud computing expand. Alongside electricity demand and economic development considerations, lawmakers are examining how the facilities’ use of water to cool their many servers will affect local supplies and infrastructure.

NCSL’s review of 2025 and ’26 legislation, updated this week, identifies about 100 bills and resolutions in 39 states addressing data center water use and related planning.

The report notes two focal points:

• This year’s legislation mainly covers reporting and disclosure requirements.
• Water supply planning and permitting are another focus of this year’s legislation.

Minnesota gets a mention…

Minnesota’s data center law (HF 16; 2025) required consideration of conservation measures during permitting. For covered projects proposing more than 100 million gallons of new or additional annual consumptive water use, the state Department of Natural Resources must ensure that measures promoting conservation, efficient use and watershed health are reasonably considered. These may include reclaimed water, closed-loop cooling and partnerships with local utilities to reuse discharged water.

MinneapoliMedia reports…

With less than four weeks remaining before the November 3 general election, Republican U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber and DFL challenger Trina Swanson met in Duluth Tuesday evening for what could be their only televised debate, offering voters in Minnesota’s Eighth Congressional District a direct comparison of their positions on mining, economic development, immigration enforcement and the financial pressures facing working families.

Here’s what they said about data centers…

Data Centers and the Question of Community Accountability

Data-center development also featured in the debate, reflecting the growing controversy surrounding proposed large-scale technology facilities in Minnesota.

The issue has particular relevance in Hermantown, where Google is pursuing a major data-center project and where both candidates have personal connections to the community.

Stauber has previously emphasized the construction employment and economic investment associated with the proposed Hermantown facility. He has argued that the project could benefit the region if developed appropriately.

Swanson has raised concerns about transparency, environmental review, electricity demand and the use of nondisclosure agreements by public officials involved in data-center negotiations.

Her criticism has focused partly on whether communities receive enough information about proposed developments before consequential decisions are made.

Those concerns have become increasingly important as Minnesota evaluates data-center proposals requiring substantial electrical capacity and infrastructure investment.

Supporters argue that such facilities can generate construction jobs, property-tax revenue and investment. Critics question the relatively limited number of permanent jobs, the potential burden on electrical systems and whether existing utility customers could face additional costs.

The debate placed those competing concerns within the broader congressional race, although the available reporting does not establish a detailed exchange of new policy commitments from either candidate on the Hermantown project.

The unresolved question for residents is how elected officials would ensure that major technology investments provide measurable public benefits while protecting taxpayers, utility customers and natural resources.