Court grants restraining order to halt Google data center progress in Pine Island

Goodhue County District Judge Patrick M. Biren issued a temporary restraining order on May 22, 2026, against Ryan Companies LLC, the developer of Project Skyway, effectively halting all construction and pre-construction activities for a planned Google data center in Pine Island, Minnesota. The ruling also rejected a motion by the defendants, Ryan Companies and the city of Pine Island, for summary judgment to proceed with construction.

The temporary restraining order was sought by the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy (MCEA), which is the plaintiff in the case. MCEA supervising attorney Joy Anderson expressed satisfaction with the ruling, stating it would allow the environmental review process for the data center to be further scrutinized by the court. MCEA had argued that the Alternative Urban Areawide Review (AUAR) used for the project was "insufficient and illegal," particularly because the client, Google, and the nature of the hyperscale data center were known long before the AUAR was initiated, suggesting a more stringent Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) or Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) should have been required.

Pine Island Mayor David Friese acknowledged the court's process and expressed confidence that the lawsuit would not ultimately prevent the data center's development, though it might push the project timeline into 2027. He noted that Google was aware of the lawsuit before announcing its involvement in February. The city had previously approved a conditional use permit in January and a financial incentives package in February for the development.

The judge's order mandates MCEA to post a $2,000 security deposit and aims to preserve the environmental status quo of the site pending a full adjudication of the case, addressing MCEA's concern that construction could irrevocably alter the site before environmental standards are met.