City of Faribault to revise environmental review after Minnesota Court of Appeals case
The City of Faribault is mandated to revise its environmental review for an Archer Datacenters project following a Minnesota Court of Appeals ruling. The court sided with the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, which argued the initial review was insufficient regarding air quality, noise, and greenhouse gas emissions. The city expressed disappointment but pledged to comply with the ruling.
The Minnesota Court of Appeals has ruled that the City of Faribault's environmental review for a proposed 500,000 sq. ft. Archer Datacenters project was insufficient, prompting the city to commit to a revision. The ruling, issued on Monday, June 8, stems from a lawsuit filed by the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy (MCEA).
The MCEA's suit highlighted concerns over the city's analyses of air quality, noise pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and cumulative potential effects, arguing that the city's "negative declaration" was not supported by substantial evidence. Luke Noquist, an attorney for the MCEA, cited an example where the environmental assessment worksheet predicted 98 percent lower greenhouse gas emissions from electricity use than expected for a facility of its size, an estimate the city admitted assumed the data center would use no more electricity than a typical warehouse.
In response, the City of Faribault expressed disappointment with the decision but affirmed its commitment to properly address all environmental issues related to the Archer Datacenters project. The MCEA views this nonprecedential case as a significant milestone for environmental activists in Minnesota, marking the first time the state's court of appeals has found an environmental study for a data center project insufficient, and hopes this victory will pave the way for successful appeals in other ongoing data center cases across the state.