District 43 House candidates on data centers: Dems against, Republicans cautious and urging local control
Candidates for Grand Forks-area District 43 legislative seats offered sharply different views on data center development. Democratic candidates Tyler York and Lukas Maughan support aggressive state action and a temporary pause on approvals, while Republicans Jill Chandler and Mike Holmes favor caution and local control with safeguards for electricity, water, noise and permitting.
The four candidates competing for two North Dakota House seats in District 43 gave contrasting responses about the state’s approach to data centers. Democrats Tyler York and Lukas Maughan called for decisive regulation, with York supporting a temporary pause on approvals for large projects and Maughan advocating limits on hyperscale AI data centers. Both argued that residents should be protected from potential economic and infrastructure risks.
Republicans Jill Chandler and Mike Holmes said data centers could bring economic benefits but should be evaluated cautiously on a project-by-project basis. Chandler emphasized local safeguards for electricity, water use and noise, while Holmes said communities and counties should be involved in planning, permitting and zoning decisions. The article also notes that lawmakers rejected a September proposal to temporarily ban nondisclosure agreements for data centers and other large industrial projects, and that earlier efforts by Democrats to establish a temporary moratorium on new data centers were unsuccessful.