Tag Archives: data center

EVENT May 13: Broadband Breakfast on The Politics of Data Centers

Posted on by
Reply

From Broadband Breakfast...

The fiercest battles over data centers are no longer being fought in Washington. They’re playing out in county commissions, township zoning boards, and statehouses responding to grassroots revolt. From shots fired at an Indianapolis councilman’s home to Maine’s moratorium, Georgia’s legislative stalemate, and zoning fights from East Whiteland to Glynn County, municipalities have become the front line of America’s data center debate. What do local officials, industry voices and telecom and energy policy experts say about how zoning, preemption, and ratepayer concerns are reshaping where, and whether, data centers get built?

New MN Bill: A bill for an act relating to taxation; sales and use; repealing the exemption for data centers HF5125

Posted on by
Reply

From the MN House…

Sencer-Mura introduced:

H. F. 5125, A bill for an act relating to taxation; sales and use; repealing the exemption for data centers; repealing the contingent reduction in special education aid appropriations; amending Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 216B.02, by adding a subdivision; Minnesota Statutes 2025 Supplement, sections 216B.02, subdivision 12; 297A.75, subdivisions 1, 2, 3; repealing Minnesota Statutes 2025 Supplement, section 297A.68, subdivision 42; Laws 2025, First Special Session chapter 10, article 7, section 8.

The bill was read for the first time and referred to the Committee on Energy Finance and Policy.

Minneapolis City Council to vote on data center moratorium on May 21

Posted on by
Reply

The Minnesota Star Tribune reports...

The city of Minneapolis may put a moratorium on data centers, even as some see the facilities as possible saviors of the downtown commercial tax base, which has plummeted in value in recent years.

Data centers are rapidly being built all over the nation to provide computing power that tech companies need to train artificial intelligence.

But a public backlash has sprung up amid concerns over their electricity demands and water use, and there’s apprehension about supporting a technology that is likely to displace human workers.

Now, the Minneapolis City Council is making moves toward putting a moratorium on the establishment or expansion of data centers in the city.

On Thursday the council scheduled a vote on a moratorium for May 21, giving members time to see whether state lawmakers enact statewide regulations.

The article outlines the perspectives of various council members, which run the gamut of issues we’ve seen in other data center discussions..

The council is largely split on the issue along its usual political divide, with more moderate Democrats worried that a moratorium would put the brakes on an emerging market that could help resuscitate downtown commercial property values, which have been hobbled by the rise of remote work.