Last year, I noticed a number of local discussion and event seminars on data centers looking to set up iin various Minnestoa towns. With the legislature in session, I suspect we’ll see a few more opinions shared in the near future. The following is an Opinion piece written to the Minnesota Star Tribune…

Put simply, data center proposals are moving faster than policy in Minnesota. The speed of AI investments in data centers is outstripping the ability of the state and communities to protect themselves from their rapacious demands. We need a pause. We are calling on the Legislature to pass a two-year moratorium on data centers so that policymakers can catch up with this fast-moving industry. In those two years, the state should develop recommendations on policies to protect our natural resources and communities. They should look at the potential cumulative impacts of multiple proposed data centers, and they should develop a statewide strategy on where and how we will allow this industry to develop in our state.

Our organizations are tracking at least 21 potential data center proposals. Minnesotans from around the state are calling our organizations daily, concerned about known or suspected data center proposals in their communities. We say “suspected” because, in many cases, it is quite hard to know what is actually being proposed. These projects are moving forward under a cloak of secrecy, often described in vague terms such as “technology park” or “light industrial development.” Even when city officials state that it is a data center, it’s often hard to get details beyond that basic fact.

The letter was submitted by the following…

Organizations that are signatories to this article include the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light, CURE, the Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of the Mississippi River, Stop the Hermantown Data Center, the Coalition for Responsible Data Center Development, Vote Solar, WaterLegacy and Clean Water Action.