KSTP TV reports…

A poll shows most Minnesotans oppose data centers as debate grows over new proposals across the state.

A 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS/SurveyUSA poll found 60% of Minnesotans are against data centers, while 27% are in favor and the rest are unsure.

State officials at the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) say there have been 12 proposed data centers in Minnesota this year, with more proposals expected next year.

To get Minnesotans’ perspective, 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS took to the Minnesota State Fair to ask residents about their opinions regarding data centers.

Minnesota Star Tribune reports….

Google’s controversial northeast Minnesota data center proposal has “gaps” and “deficiencies,” the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said of its final environmental review. But the agency stopped short of objecting to it.

In a late August letter to the city of Hermantown the state agency wrote that the second environmental review of the forested 234-acre site leaves several questions unanswered. But as the governmental unit in charge of the project, state law dictates the city has the legal authority to decide whether the review is adequate. Its City Council could vote on it this month.

The specifics from the DNR…

The DNR said the review inaccurately described it as an agency tasked with ensuring project compliance for ground and stormwater. It’s not and that expectation could “create a false public expectation about MNDNR oversight,” Kuskie wrote in her letter to the city.

Other DNR concerns include:

• The project’s proximity to a Minnesota Power substation, where the utility is expanding, in part, for the data center. The effects of that should be studied, the agency said.
• Inadequate baseline data for groundwater, which was gathered during a year of drought.
• The project’s location near trout streams and on wetlands, and a need for more information on how they will be protected or have harm minimized.

Northern News Now reports...

Some businesses are pulling out of the Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce, after the agency put its support behind the proposed Hermantown data center this week.

Now both Zenith Bookstore and Townline Farms & Stable have now severed ties with the Chamber. The departures are due to a move these local business owners call a devastating betrayal and misrepresentation of small businesses in the organization.

On Tuesday, The Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce formally announced their support of the proposed data center.

I wrote about the Chamber’s support a few days ago. The article details the specific reasons specific businesses left the Chamber and the reaction of the community.

The Faribault Daily News reports...

About two months after the Faribault City Council extended Archer’s timeline to complete an updated environmental assessment worksheet to March 2027, the planning commission is now planning to bring its plan to the council by November.

“This helps put together things in a timely manner,” City Planning Manager Harry Davis said. “We’re not just sitting here spinning our wheels thinking what to do next.”

The meeting focused on laying out the different standards with one question hanging over the commissioners’ heads: How can the city avoid a lawsuit?

“The city attorney will be asking if this is something we can regulate. If he says no, that’s not likely going to be a staff recommendation,” Davis said. “We’re generally trying to make sure the city doesn’t get sued.”

The environmental commission is meeting in September…

The environmental commission will have a meeting on Sept. 28 to approve its contributions to send to the planning commission. During the meeting, Davis told the commissioners there may be some regulations the environmental commission puts forward that will not be legally viable to incorporate.

The working document’s purpose statement reads the commissioners are not there to discuss whether they agree or disagree with data centers nor if a project should be approved.

“The city can’t cross their arms and say, ‘no, thank you. We don’t want one,’” Commissioner Chuck Ackman said. “I think it’s incumbent on us that we do our job and have reasonable development standards in place in case they need to go down that path.”

KTTC reports…

Although no official project has been confirmed, the city of Harmony is drafting local regulations to prepare for any potential data center development. However, many residents in this close-knit Highway 52 community are raising concerns about the speed at which elected leaders are moving.

With a population of just over 1,000 people, residents want to ensure that any changes to the city code reflect the needs of the community first and foremost.

“If we have an ordinance, we have to honor the rules,” said Harmony resident Michael Himlie. “I’m not sure it reads that way in the current draft.”

Under the proposed ordinance, developers would be blocked from future expansions of any data center site without explicit city approval. To address potential noise issues, the city is considering requirements for sound barriers and berms next to residential areas.

While some residents say they appreciate the discussion of safety and quality-of-life safeguards, they want city officials to slow down the review process.

I wrote about the moratorium on data centers in Carlton County last week when it happened. This week, the Moose Lake Star Gazette has published all of the details on the moratorium and planned study. I won’t share them all; you can find them in full in the original article…

Below is Interim Ordinance #42 – Carlton County Data Center Interim Use Study adopted by the Carlton County Board of Commissioners 

August 24, 2026.

Article I. General Provisions and Definitions

Section 1.1 Purpose

This Ordinance places a one-year pause on the creation or expansion of data centers in Carlton County, pursuant to Minnesota Statutes § 394.34. The purpose of this pause is to protect the planning process as the County studies data centers and their impacts and its official controls and the need for possible amendments to its official controls to protect the health, safety, and general welfare of citizens.  Additionally, this ordinance will allow time for the completion of the County’s Comprehensive Land Use Planning process that began in 2025. 

 

FOX21 Duluth reports…

The Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce has announced its support for the proposed Google data center in Hermantown.

In a press release Wednesday, the Chamber says they have formally adopted a resolution supporting the proposed Google Data Center Project in Hermantown.

They cite the project’s potential to strengthen the region’s economic base, advance technology infrastructure, and support future growth as reasons for the support.

“We believe the proposed Hermantown Data Center represents a significant investment not only in technology and economic development, but in the infrastructure and community assets that will support future growth. As a regional business organization, we have a responsibility to advocate for opportunities that strengthen our economy and create the conditions for businesses and communities to thrive,” said Pat deGrood, chair of the Board of Directors at the Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce and vice president of commercial services, The Jamar Company.

Monticello Times reports…

As Monticello Tech’s proposed data center moves into detailed city review, the developer — not city taxpayers — will pick up the tab for outside costs associated with evaluating the project.

The City Council on Aug. 24 approved an escrow agreement with Monticello Tech for review of its proposed 550-acre technology campus south of 85th Street NE and east of Highway 25.

The agreement establishes a developer-funded account the city can draw from as its planners, engineers, environmental consultants and attorneys dig into the proposal. City policy requires such agreements for commercial and industrial land use applications involving more than 51 acres.

Monticello Tech must initially deposit $10,000 into the account.

If the balance drops below $5,000, the developer must replenish it as directed by the city — or the city can halt its review until more money is deposited.

More info...

City staff initially determined the developer’s July 6 land use applications were incomplete. Monticello Tech submitted a substantially revised package Aug. 3 and supplemental materials Aug. 11, and the city has since determined it has enough information to begin evaluating the proposal itself.

Monticello Tech is seeking three approvals during the current phase: rezoning for a Data Center Planned Unit Development, a conditional use permit and a preliminary plat.

The developer is proposing an approximately 3 million-square-foot technology campus that could ultimately include as many as eight data center buildings constructed in phases over several years.

Rep Emmer talks about data centers on FOX Business…

The description from the FOX website…

House Majority Whip Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., discusses the debate over data center construction in the United States on ‘Kudlow.’

The Fergus Falls Daily Journal reports…

The Fergus Falls city administrator is pushing back on rumors that an NDA signed with a Dayton, Minnesota, company could pave the way for a data center at the Kirkbride building on the former Regional Treatment Center campus.

“I can say with certainty that the project related to the RTC does not and is not related to a data center,” City Administrator Andrew Bremseth said. “We see NDAs being used in other areas, where data centers are using that mechanism to try to get further down the process before people find out about it. That is not happening in this case. There’s no data center conversation happening around the RTC whatsoever. I can clearly say, without violating anything, that there is no data center proposed project.”

It’s difficult to know if this is speculation or just a concern following what’s happening in other communities…

The local rumors appear rooted in events in Pine Island, where city administrative staff — but not elected council members — signed NDAs with developer Ryan Companies in late 2024 as part of what became known as Project Skyway, a nearly 500-acre technology park north of Pine Island.

It does speak to the need for communities to prepare and/or discussion options for data center regulations or expectations in the community.