Elk River adopts one-year data center moratorium (Sherburne County)

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News Break reports…

The Elk River City Council unanimously approved a one-year moratorium on new data center development Aug. 3, giving the city time to study the rapidly growing industry and develop regulations before considering future proposals.

The action came after the applicant seeking to develop a data center in Elk River formally withdrew its requests for a zoning ordinance amendment and a conditional use permit.

The community was engaged…

The vote came after weeks of packed public hearings, emotional testimony and intense community debate over a proposal that drew widespread opposition from residents concerned about noise, environmental impacts, energy use and the long-term effects of locating a large-scale data center in Elk River.

What does it mean?

“The moratorium does two things,” Carlton told the council. “First, it prohibits all data center development applications, including land use applications, rezoning requests and similar proposals. In other words, all data center development is prohibited during the moratorium.”

He said the second purpose is to direct staff to begin studying what a data center ordinance should include.

The Farm Bill doesn’t advance from Senate Agriculture Committee, which means no advance for broadband provisions

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Broadband Breakfast reports…

The fate of millions of dollars in rural broadband funding remains unresolved as Congress heads into its August recess.

The Senate Agriculture Committee failed Thursday to advance the Agricultural Act of 2026, the chamber’s version of a long-delayed farm bill. The stalled bill includes language that would codify and consolidate the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s ReConnect broadband program, which has distributed $5.5 billion in rural broadband funding since 2018, but has never operated on a permanent statutory basis.

The Senate draft, released in June by the office of Committee Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., and revised again in late July, would authorize up to $100 million a year for ReConnect through 2031, targeting underserved areas where 90 percent of households lack access to broadband service offering speeds of 25 Megabits per second (Mbps) download and 3 Mbps upload.

Cambridge City Council unanimously approved the one-year moratorium on data centers (Isanti County)

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The Isanti-Chisago County Star reports…

The city of Cambridge is officially placing a one-year moratorium on the construction of data centers within the city limits.

The council had previously instructed staff to do some initial research into data centers in order to determine if an official moratorium is needed. During an official moratorium, more extensive research will be performed leading up to crafting appropriate ordinances and city codes on the subject. …

estover said staff looked closely at three proposed data centers in Minnesota: at Pine Island, Monticello, and Hermantown. Through that research, staff came to the conclusion that if a hyperscale data center were to be constructed here, most or all of the land would have to be annexed into the city limits. This also means city utilities would need to be extended.

She did note there may be some perceived benefits to a city such as tax base growth, stabilization, and employment opportunities both during construction and once the data center is operational. She added that what would need to be researched very closely is whether those benefits outweigh the negatives that have frequently been voiced across the country. …

Great River Energy, ITC Midwest and Xcel Energy host a series of projects to bring more powerlines to southern Minnesota

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Dakota News Now reports…

In southwest Minnesota, multiple companies are hosting open house meetings to bring information to the public about a series of energy projects.

Three companies, Great River Energy, ITC Midwest and Xcel Energy, have joined forces to create a series of projects called PowerOn Midwest.

They hope to bring more power lines to the southwest corner and connect to South Dakota and Iowa. Otter Tail Power Company is working alongside Xcel Energy on new lines in the Brookings area that will connect to the proposed Minnesota system.

The group said that new transmission lines will help meet the demand for more energy in that corner of the state. Despite the project’s intent, there are some critics.

The energy companies recognize the connection to data centers…

Data centers are a topic of interest in recent years, with differing opinions and many proposed projects across the country. In a fact sheet put together by PowerOn Midwest, the companies state that the study they conducted did not include data center power usage in the equation despite the “overlap between data center proposals and the PowerOn Midwest projects.” They stated that if large energy users like data centers choose to join the grid, more studies will need to be done.

Hallstrom doesn’t buy the messaging being put out by PowerOn Midwest.

“Of course it would be connected [to data center projects],” argued Hallstrom. “You wouldn’t put that massive amount of infrastructure in without thinking about what else is going to happen, and with data centers so under discussion, there’s no way they’re not connected or wouldn’t be in the future. People need to look at this. They’re going to have more hearings and meetings, and they need to stay on top of it.”

Residents and leaders meet to discuss data centers in Harmony – next public meeting in Aug 26, 2026 (Fillmore County)

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KTTC reports…

Community members packed a joint local government meeting Wednesday as city leaders, planning and zoning officials, and the economic development commission gathered to discuss proposed restrictions for a potential data center.

While no official development has been confirmed for the area, the city is drafting an ordinance to establish strict parameters should a developer move forward.

Some of the proposed restrictions currently on the table include capping any potential facility’s power usage at 55 megawatts. To put that in perspective, a single megawatt can power between 400 and 1,000 homes, meaning a 55-megawatt cap represents enough energy to power up to 55,000 homes.

Additionally, the ordinance would require facilities to be built at least 500 feet away from any residential area and utilize a specific closed-loop water cooling system to protect local utilities.

To address community worries, city leaders are also looking into requiring a noise report as part of a data center’s annual operational report. This yearly audit would also track the facility’s water and electricity consumption.

In the end…

No official action was taken during tonight’s meeting. The city council has opened a two-week window for residents to submit written comments and feedback. The next public meeting on the draft ordinance is scheduled for August 26.

University of Minnesota receives federal funding to advance AI breakthroughs

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The University of Minnesota announces...

Researchers at the University of Minnesota have had three projects selected for the U.S. Department of Energy’s inaugural Genesis Mission program, underscoring the University’s leadership in applying AI and advanced computing to address critical scientific and engineering challenges in energy, technology and national security.

“We believe the University of Minnesota has a real opportunity — and a responsibility — to help shape how AI advances discovery and benefits society,” said Executive Vice President and Provost Gretchen Ritter. “These Genesis Mission awards are a testament to the strength of our collaborative research community and the extraordinary work of our faculty. We’re not just driving new understanding in a rapidly changing world, we’re preparing our students and researchers to lead with integrity and positioning Minnesota for the future.”

The University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering secured the three Genesis Mission Phase I awards. A highly competitive initiative that drew the largest response to a funding opportunity in the Department of Energy’s history, the program awarded 278 grants to researchers at 168 universities, 87 national laboratories, 19 companies and four nonprofit organizations. Phase I funding supports researchers as they develop and test research workflows that integrate AI with scientific discovery.

More information on the specific projects…

Using AI to unlock next-generation semiconductor devices
Uwe Kortshagen, a Distinguished McKnight University Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, is leading a project aimed at transforming semiconductor manufacturing. Today’s chip fabrication processes require extreme precision but remain difficult to adapt to new materials. Kortshagen’s team will develop an AI-driven discovery engine to rapidly evaluate manufacturing approaches, identify sources of error and accelerate the development of next-generation semiconductor materials.

A new frontier for “digital twins”
Qizhi He, assistant professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geo-Engineering, will lead a project aimed at transforming geothermal energy extraction. Using generative AI, the research team will develop a real-time “digital twin” of underground environments that can rapidly process sensor data and provide more accurate insights than current models. The technology will help energy operators make faster, better-informed decisions, improving efficiency while reducing costs.

Optimizing critical mineral extraction
Peter Kang, associate professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, is developing new approaches to recover critical minerals more efficiently and sustainably. His research focuses on “in situ” recovery, a process that extracts minerals by circulating fluids underground rather than through traditional mining. By combining lab experiments with next-generation AI, Kang and his team will better predict how fluids move through fractured rock and dissolve minerals, helping optimize recovery and improve extraction efficiency.

Looks like Itasca County Commissioners are learning about data centers

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About a month ago, ICTV reported on Facebook…

“No data center has been proposed in Itasca County, but the issue has become a contentious one in other communities, including Hermantown.” Cory Smith, the current Itasca County Commissioner for District 1 running for reelection, shares where he’d draw the line if the question ever comes here. Watch the full candidate forum with all three District 1 candidates at watchictv.org.

Today, the Grand Rapids Herlan Review publishes a summary of recent (July 7, 2026) proceedings of the Itasca County Board of Commissioners…

Commissioner Johnson reported on attending Coffee with Commissioners, a MN Data Centers meeting and also visited a data center in Duluth.

It’s not a lot of information but enough to see that leaders in Itasca County are thinking about data centers. For folks outside of Itasca County, these are some of the things to look at to get early signs that data centers are a topic of conversation in your community. Look to local news (even on social media) and notes from local public meetings. Many meetings are livestreamed and archived if you have the time to look.

Doug Dawson looks at predicted drops in broadband subscriptions

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Doug Dawson from CCG Consulting writes…

A year ago, John Horrigan wrote an article for the Benton Foundation that predicted that as many as 5.6 million households would drop their home broadband connection due to the impact of the One Big Beautiful Bill. He based that assessment on the changes that the OBBB will make to federal programs that benefit low-income families.

He writes about household circumstance changes since that prediction that might impact the outcome and ends by talking about the broadband industry aspect of it…

Horrigan’s prediction may not fully come to pass because there is a middle-ground to abandoning broadband. Earlier this year, I worked with two ISPs that serve areas that are primarily low-income. Both ISPs told me that they are experiencing a big increase in a new kind of churn – customers that temporarily drop broadband because they can’t afford it, but who then resubscribe a few months later when they’ve scraped together enough money to buy broadband again.

The other thing that a cost squeeze does is to drive homes to look for broadband alternatives. I think that people in this category are the ones dropping cable companies and going to FWA broadband and other less expensive options. Unfortunately for families in this position, lower monthly rates typically mean slower speeds and less reliable broadband performance. A lot of low-income families have stayed with DSL for years because it was the least costly option in cities. However, in recent years, the big telcos have increased the cost of DSL to be the same price as fiber to get people off the copper network – but these higher prices are often too high for too many homes with low incomes.

There is a nationwide consensus that we are all better off when most families have broadband and can partake in the many benefits broadband brings to a household. If we don’t somehow change the current path we are on, I think Horrigan’s estimate of 5.6 million households that drop broadband will be far too low.

Pine County adopts a 6-month moratorium on data centers will hold public meeting Aug 18, 2026

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Pine County News reports…

Pine County will hold a public hearing on Aug. 18 after adopting an interim ordinance authorizing a six-month moratorium on data center developments earlier in July.

County Administrator Kelly Schroeder explained that she verified with county attorney Reese Frederickson that “procedurally there likely should have been a public hearing” prior to the board’s vote on July 7.

After hearing public input at the hearing, the board would reaffirm the ordinance establishing the moratorium.

“We don’t want any issues moving forward with the data center moratorium,” Schroeder said.

The approved measure also directs the county’s Zoning Board to conduct a study of data center regulations and make recommendations.

The boards met for an informational session about data centers at a June 30 Committee of the Whole meeting, after which the moratorium was brought back to the agenda.

Interesting to see decisions at the county-level and to see how quickly decisions about data centers are evolving…

County administrator Kelly Schroeder explained that the moratorium covers all Pine County townships and cities that have opted into county zoning.

Schroeder added that the board could extend the measure if the Zoning Board needs more than six months for the study.

The board had previously considered a moratorium on April 7, but a motion made by commissioner Matt Ludwig to adopt the interim ordinance failed due to a lack of a second.

There’s hope for some iteration of the Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program

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Benton Institute for Broadband and Society reports on the federal funding that supported the adoption side of the BEAD access goal…

Cities, counties, nonprofits, libraries, community colleges, and workforce organizations waiting to learn whether the Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program is coming back now have a glimmer of hope, albeit a soft one. In a joint status report filed in a federal court on August 3, 2026, the Department of Commerce said it “presently targets a December 2026 opening date for the Competitive Grant Program application.” The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the Commerce agency that runs the program, is “currently preparing a new Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO),” the document that announces a federal grant competition, sets the rules, and opens the application window.

Three things in that sentence matter to anyone who applied in 2024 or plans to apply next time. The date is a target, not a court-ordered deadline. The NOFO will be new, not a revival of the 2024 process. And nothing in the filing addresses what happens to the more than 700 applications NTIA already has in hand.

The article goes on to give a brief history of the funds and suggest the next chapter…

In the days and weeks ahead, stakeholders might want to keep the following in mind.

August 17, 2026. The next joint status report, which should reveal whether NDIA accepts a stay, and whether the parties will brief mootness.

The Federal Register. The Department of Commerce attributes part of its timeline to Paperwork Reduction Act notice periods. A notice from NTIA seeking comment on the application package would be public confirmation that the NOFO is moving. The law also allows for emergency processing and reliance on existing clearances, so the absence of a notice would not by itself mean the December target has slipped, but its appearance would be the first independent evidence that it hasn’t.

The four-year clock. Grants under this program must be expended within four years of award, with a fifth year available only for measurement and evaluation. An application window opening in December 2026 means awards land, at the earliest, well into 20272—more than five years after the Digital Equity Act became law.

Hastings City Council to vote on data center moratorium on Aug 17, 2026 (Dakota County)

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The Twin Cities Pioneer Press reports…

The Hastings City Council on Monday night moved forward a potential pause on any data center development, joining a growing number of cities across the state considering such a measure.

The ordinance calls for a moratorium on any data center projects for one year, allowing Hastings city staff to study the impact of these facilities, while also considering how to better define such facilities within city code.

The city council on Monday approved the first reading of the proposed moratorium, and will consider final adoption at its Aug. 17 meeting, when they will also solicit comments from the community with a public hearing.

La Crosse (WI) City Plan Commission advances 18-month moratorium on data center development

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News 8 Now reports…

 La Crosse city leaders took the first step Saturday toward pausing data center development, with the City Plan Commission advancing an 18-month moratorium on new data center projects.

The moratorium would stop the city from issuing permits for the construction of any data centers while La Crosse studies possible environmental, economic, and health impacts of the facilities.

The city is following La Crosse County’s lead. In June 2026, La Crosse County approved its own 18-month moratorium on data centers in unincorporated county areas. The county established an ad hoc committee to study data centers and make recommendations to county leadership. La Crosse will participate in that committee’s work as the city develops its own regulatory standards.

North Mankato data center moratorium tabled for two weeks (Nicollet and Blue Earth Counties)

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KEYC reports...

The North Mankato City Council held a public hearing on August 3, 2026, regarding a moratorium and study on data centers within city limits.

The meeting was well attended…

Council chambers were full of residents and of around 15 who spoke, only one opposed the motion. The rest were in favor, but also asked the council to reconsider the language as they felt it was too broad.

They will vote in two weeks…

The council decided to table the vote on the ordinance for two weeks to consider public input and ensure correct language in the moratorium. Council members agreed, “We want to get it right”.

The data center debate, part two on 1A

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Last week, I wrote about the first part (or a two-part) series on data centers on MPR’s 1A. Part two was on today. The spoke to folks with differing views on if, how and why data centers have a place in the US. They cover moratoria, politics views, impacts on taxbase, communities and more. Here’s the description from the 1A page. The show is one hour long.

Data centers.

They’ve been all over the news. Last month, protesters showed up in 125 cities across the country on a single Saturday to demonstrate against these structures, either proposed or completed.

But are the politicians listening? We sit down for the second part of our data center deep dive.  This time, we talk politics. Why have data centers become a political flashpoint so quickly? And who is calling the shots at the local, state, and federal level?

FOX9 tracks view on proposed data center locating to the former Star Tribune

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I wrote about the proposed data center locating to the former Star Tribune earlier. FOX9 has followed up with notes on varying options of location stakeholders on the project…

  • What they’re saying:
    “We have to get things right here,” Rainville said.

    Rainville believes the data center, and other future developments like it, can help shift some of the property tax burden away from homeowners, renters and small business owners. “They’re here already, and they’re part of our economy, which will lower the tax base. For every renter and homeowner and small business owner in this city, which are getting crushed right now,” said Rainville.

  • The Downtown Council’s perspectiveLocal perspective:Adam Duininck, CEO of the Minneapolis Downtown Council, sees the data center as a potential solution to downtown’s high vacancy rate.”How long are we willing to let 30% vacancy just hold? If we take a pass on these investments, they’re going to go to a different downtown,” said Duininck.

  • Community concerns and city council actionThe other side:Some city council members and neighbors are worried about the environmental impact, and whether a data center is the best use for the site.”Is this the best use of land, a data center, or should there be more activation for community?” said Aurin Chowdhury, Council Member for the southeast side of the city.