ND Ag commissioner candidates offer different views on data center development
North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring and challenger Vern Thompson agree that local governments should decide where data centers are built, but they differ over the role of state agencies and the need for new regulations. Thompson supports a more deliberate state framework, farmland protections, developer bonding and studies of water and power impacts, while Goehring emphasizes property rights, legislative authority and responsible local development.
North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring and Democratic-NPL candidate Vern Thompson offered contrasting views on data center development during their campaigns. Both said local governments should control siting decisions and property owners should be free to sell land, but Thompson argued that the Industrial Commission and state government have failed to provide sufficient guidance as development accelerates.
Thompson supports additional zoning and ordinances for projects on prime farmland, community benefit agreements, decommissioning plans backed by bonds, and a study of water availability and power-related impacts. Goehring said regulation belongs primarily to the Legislature, encouraged developers to use less productive farmland and mitigate impacts, and argued that North Dakota currently has abundant water and that local bonding and tax requirements can limit risks from abandoned facilities.