Brookings looks at data center moratoriums versus oversight…

Data center construction is exploding amid the artificial intelligence (AI) boom—and so is the community backlash against these projects. Protests across the country and community concerns have prompted legislators to consider moratoriums on data center construction. At least 15 states have weighed pauses on data center development, and at least 100 localities have already approved their own.

While these efforts might be successful in affording communities the time they need to craft community benefit agreements or consider whether they want local data centers, they are not a complete solution to the problem at hand. Data centers require meaningful accountability and oversight in both the short and long term. These measures may temporarily quiet communities’ resistance, but they will not slow the national momentum behind projects that are being built or are already underway. For moratoriums to work, there must also be time spent gathering data, enhancing transparency, and creating greater collaboration among legislators, industry, and community residents. If these factors, at a minimum, are not achieved, community upheavals are likely to persist.

They look at proposed or passed legislation in fifteen states. Here’s what they noted about Minnesota…

Minnesota
HF 4888 / SF 4298
Prohibits issuing a permit for a data center until one calendar year after the Public Utility Commission submits a report that assesses various possible scenarios for data center development in the state, or until at least July 1, 2027.
Failed