Alexandria Echo Press reports…

 While national discourse swirls around rapidly evolving AI and hyperscale data centers, Minnesota’s elected officials have been working on safety and regulatory interventions at all levels of government.

Just before adjourning for break, the U.S. House overwhelmingly passed the “Ratepayer Protection Act,” which would require states to consider implementing a standard requiring certain “large-load” customers, such as data centers, to cover the electricity costs associated with their projects.

The federal legislation is not likely to make much of a difference for Minnesotans, as the state already passed a standalone data center bill in 2025 that requires the hyperscale facilities to cover new electricity costs.

That requirement applies to the state’s first hyperscale data center in Rosemount, owned by Meta, which has not provided an update on when the facility would be operational. The City of Rosemount had previously said it would be complete by the end of summer.