Northern News Now reports…

Hermantown Mayor Wayne Boucher tabled a vote Thursday on an environmental review for a Minnesota Power transmission line proposed to serve Google’s planned data center.

Residents who spoke in opposition said the city is not complying with a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources shoreline standard related to the project.

“The city is in violation of the shoreline ordinance and Minnesota law, and by passing this tonight, so is the city in violation,” said Clarissa Ek, a Solway Township resident.

Boucher questioned whether the city should approve a resolution referencing an ordinance that is not in compliance.

“We have an ordinance that’s not in compliance, but we are being asked to approve a resolution that refers to the ordinance that’s not in compliance aren’t we a little ahead of ourselves with that?” asked Boucher.

There is no word on when work to address the issue will be completed or when the council may vote again.

National Council of State Legislators reports...

Data center development is drawing increased attention in state legislatures as artificial intelligence and cloud computing expand. Alongside electricity demand and economic development considerations, lawmakers are examining how the facilities’ use of water to cool their many servers will affect local supplies and infrastructure.

NCSL’s review of 2025 and ’26 legislation, updated this week, identifies about 100 bills and resolutions in 39 states addressing data center water use and related planning.

The report notes two focal points:

• This year’s legislation mainly covers reporting and disclosure requirements.
• Water supply planning and permitting are another focus of this year’s legislation.

Minnesota gets a mention…

Minnesota’s data center law (HF 16; 2025) required consideration of conservation measures during permitting. For covered projects proposing more than 100 million gallons of new or additional annual consumptive water use, the state Department of Natural Resources must ensure that measures promoting conservation, efficient use and watershed health are reasonably considered. These may include reclaimed water, closed-loop cooling and partnerships with local utilities to reuse discharged water.

MinneapoliMedia reports…

With less than four weeks remaining before the November 3 general election, Republican U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber and DFL challenger Trina Swanson met in Duluth Tuesday evening for what could be their only televised debate, offering voters in Minnesota’s Eighth Congressional District a direct comparison of their positions on mining, economic development, immigration enforcement and the financial pressures facing working families.

Here’s what they said about data centers…

Data Centers and the Question of Community Accountability

Data-center development also featured in the debate, reflecting the growing controversy surrounding proposed large-scale technology facilities in Minnesota.

The issue has particular relevance in Hermantown, where Google is pursuing a major data-center project and where both candidates have personal connections to the community.

Stauber has previously emphasized the construction employment and economic investment associated with the proposed Hermantown facility. He has argued that the project could benefit the region if developed appropriately.

Swanson has raised concerns about transparency, environmental review, electricity demand and the use of nondisclosure agreements by public officials involved in data-center negotiations.

Her criticism has focused partly on whether communities receive enough information about proposed developments before consequential decisions are made.

Those concerns have become increasingly important as Minnesota evaluates data-center proposals requiring substantial electrical capacity and infrastructure investment.

Supporters argue that such facilities can generate construction jobs, property-tax revenue and investment. Critics question the relatively limited number of permanent jobs, the potential burden on electrical systems and whether existing utility customers could face additional costs.

The debate placed those competing concerns within the broader congressional race, although the available reporting does not establish a detailed exchange of new policy commitments from either candidate on the Hermantown project.

The unresolved question for residents is how elected officials would ensure that major technology investments provide measurable public benefits while protecting taxpayers, utility customers and natural resources.

McLeod County Chronicle reports...

Revolve Labs has launched a new website aimed at answering questions about its data center under construction in Glencoe.
The website follows a public presentation last month by Jim Fleming, director of customer operations for Revolve Labs, at the Glencoe City Center. During that presentation, Fleming said the company planned to create an online resource where residents could find additional information and supporting sources about the project.
The new site, available at revolvelabs.ai/community/glencoe, covers topics including construction, sound, water, electricity use, jobs, and the project’s potential impact on the community. Revolve Labs said it plans to continue updating the site as the project moves forward.
Construction is underway at 670 11th St. W., where Revolve Labs plans to complete the new data center in April 2027.
The facility will provide computing infrastructure for artificial intelligence applications. One of its primary functions will be “inference,” the computing process that occurs when an AI system receives information and produces a response. The company said its high-performance computing infrastructure supports applications in healthcare, agriculture, education, and financial services.

The Minnesota Star Tribune reports...

Construction unions build data centers, and the projects are particularly lucrative for blue-collar workers. As a result, trade unions are divided in the First Congressional District. Some have backed Johnson, while others endorsed Finstad, a two-term Republican from New Ulm who has said data centers can benefit local communities and that Congress should not ban them in cities that want them.

It’s the latest example of how data centers and AI are shaping politics — not just the economy. And it’s another source of friction between trade unions and Democrats in Minnesota, as labor groups grapple with a large faction of DFLers who oppose big construction projects such as copper-nickel mines and oil pipelines.

“On one side we have the folks that support our rights to collectively bargain and labor standards,” said Tom Dicklich, executive director of the Minnesota State Building and Construction Trades Council. “On the other side, [Republicans] may not do that, but they support the projects.”

The article continues to outline perspectives from various Congressional races in Minnesota looking at how candidates approach the data center issue.

Post Bulletin reports...

Google’s proposed data center in Pine Island got a vote of confidence from the Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, Oct. 6.

The chamber, which represents businesses in Rochester and surrounding communities, said Project Skyway “represents a significant opportunity for Pine Island and the surrounding region through new investment, job growth, infrastructure, education, tax-base growth, and continued economic development.”

Developed by Twin Cities-based Ryan Companies, LLC, the data center project would support more than 700 skilled trades jobs during construction and create roughly 100 permanent jobs once the data center is operational, making Google Pine Island’s second-largest employer.

The project would include $100 million in utility and road infrastructure upgrades/expansion funded by Ryan Companies, a $24 million fund to support Pine Island schools, $3 million in direct funding for the city of Pine Island — in addition to the more than $130 million in new property tax revenue — over the first 28 years of the project, according to a financial agreement passed in February 2026.

An agreement between Xcel Energy and Google would add 1,900 megawatts of new clean-energy resources to the grid, including 1,400 megawatts of wind, 200 megawatts of solar, and 300 megawatts of battery storage.

Northfield News reports...

After more than two hours of public comment and council discussion, the Northfield City Council voted 7-0 Tuesday night to reduce the required setback between data-processing facilities and parks or trails from roughly three-quarters of a mile to 200 feet.

But the setback change was only part of the story. In a separate motion, the council also directed staff to explore a tiered regulatory framework for data-processing facilities as part of the upcoming Land Development Code update, looking beyond just power consumption to include water use and other emerging concerns.

Some of the details…

The city’s regulations include 17 performance standards covering noise, water use, glare, vibrations and more. They also require a conditional use permit triggered by any water use.

And more on the vote…

After the vote, the council approved a second motion directing staff to explore the tiered regulatory framework and performance standards recommended by the planning commission, looking beyond just power consumption. That motion also passed without dissent.

Fergus Falls Daily Journal reports…

Otter Tail County commissioner candidates answered questions concerning taxes, data centers at a candidate forum Four candidates for the Otter Tail County Board of Commissioners made their case to voters at a forum organized by the Fergus Falls Area Chamber of Commerce’s Meet the Candidates forum series on Friday, Oct. 2.

District 2 candidates Jeff Gontarek and incumbent Wayne Johnson and District 4 candidates Stephen Springer and Jim Stewart answered five questions on the economy before a chamber audience. Chamber President Lisa Workman hosted the event and radio host Dave Bishop moderated.

Here’s what they said about data centers…

Data centers, nondisclosure agreements and artificial intelligence

Springer, answering first, said he was conditionally open to data centers if they are kept off farmland and use closed-loop systems that do not drain local water and power resources. He said nondisclosure agreements are sometimes necessary in business, a practice he has used himself.

Johnson warned that building data centers damages local infrastructure, citing road destruction around a Fargo-area project, and said the county needs stronger siting ordinances and should make developers pay for damage and dedicate haul roads. He said he would not personally sign a nondisclosure agreement and favors transparency, adding that AI adoption is up to individual businesses.

Gontarek said he opposes any data center in the county and would not sign nondisclosure agreements as an elected official, calling transparency essential. He urged caution on AI, citing misleading AI-enhanced real estate photos, and said the county should not dictate AI use to residents.

Stewart said that he thought more research needed to be done, but he definitely did not agree with NDAs, unless it was proprietary information.

 

Duluth News Tribune reports…

Google is hoping to build a nearly 1.7-million-square-foot data center near Midway and Morris Thomas roads, but faces stiff opposition from residents concerned about its environmental impact.

The City Council unanimously approved an updated environmental review of Google’s proposed nearly 1.7-million-square-foot data center Monday.

The latest Alternative Urban Areawide Review, or AUAR, of the project studied the effects of the data center planned near Morris Thomas and Midway roads, though opponents have long argued it didn’t go far enough and the city should instead conduct a more stringent environmental impact statement.

It’s the second time the city has approved an AUAR for the project. Hermantown’s earlier review did not describe it as a data center, but the latest AUAR includes more details about the project, including that it is a data center.