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Activists at the Minnesota State Capitol Are Calling for a Moratorium on Any New Data Centers in the State
Lawmakers and activists seek a pause on new data centers to address energy use, transparency, and tax issues amid 23 proposals statewide, pending regulatory framework.
- At the Minnesota State Capitol on Feb. 18, environmental advocates and residents called for a moratorium, with Sen. Jennifer McEwen, DFL-Duluth, saying she will introduce legislation to pause data center projects until regulations are in place.
- Lawmakers and advocates point to resource and regulatory gaps: data centers demand large electricity and water supplies, state agencies lack rules, and residents report secrecy and late impact disclosures.
- Project specifics underline the scale: Project Skyway covers 482 acres with a 3 million-square-foot data center, Meta is building a 280-acre site in Rosemount, and Hermantown recently rezoned 17 parcels amid ongoing legal disputes.
- The 2025 Minnesota Legislature passed a standalone data center bill and Republican lawmakers last year attempted permitting reform, but efforts failed last year, prompting calls for a moratorium.
- A federal report frames the scale of demand: a 2024 Department of Energy report found data centers used about 4.4% of U.S. electricity in 2023 and could need more power than small cities, prompting utilities to spread costs to ratepayers.
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Activists at the Minnesota state capitol are calling for a moratorium on any new data centers in the state
Activists at the Minnesota state capitol are calling for a moratorium on new data centers in the state. They say excessive water usage and high energy consumption top the list of their biggest concerns, while proponents tout the jobs and tax revenue.
·Philadelphia, United States
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Residents, environmental advocates push for a hyper-scale data center moratorium
ST. PAUL — Environmental advocates and residents who live near proposed data centers called for a moratorium on new hyper-scale data centers and other restrictions at a rally Wednesday, Feb. 18, at the Capitol. The call for a pause in construction across the state comes as several projects — including in Becker, North Mankato and Hampton — have halted as developers cite strenuous permitting processes in Minnesota and other states making it easie…
·Cherokee County, United States
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Total News Sources17
Leaning Left0Leaning Right8Center5Last UpdatedBias Distribution62% Right
Bias Distribution
- 62% of the sources lean Right
62% Right
C 38%
R 62%
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