Minnesota data centers: What you should know before they develop
A Minnesota state appeals court ruled that an environmental review for a proposed data center in Faribault was illegal, requiring the city to revise it. This decision is part of ongoing statewide debates in Minnesota regarding data center growth, with critics raising concerns about resource consumption, particularly electricity and water.
The Minnesota Court of Appeals has ruled that an environmental review for a proposed data center in Faribault was illegal, mandating that the city revise its review to ensure it is more complete. This ruling marks the latest development in several ongoing statewide disputes over data center expansion across Minnesota.
FOX 9's Mike Manzoni elaborated on the controversy, explaining that while data centers are crucial for technologies like AI, websites, and cloud storage, and offer benefits such as job creation, investment, and increased tax revenue, critics highlight their significant consumption of resources. An environmental advocacy group, which has engaged in lawsuits concerning data centers, claims that even if only half of the 20 proposed hyperscale data centers in the state were built, their energy usage would equate to that of the entire state of Minnesota. The group also asserts that a Meta data center located in Farmington would effectively double that city's water usage.