Watchdog secures settlement with Pine Island over Google data center concerns
Pine Island City Council approved a settlement resolving a lawsuit over Google's proposed Project Skyway data center. The agreement will subject the nearly 500-acre project to review by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, including scrutiny of its environmental impacts, water use and energy demands.
Pine Island, Minnesota, approved a settlement concerning Project Skyway, a proposed three-story Google hyperscale data center planned on nearly 500 acres in Goodhue County. The Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy filed suit, arguing that the city's environmental review did not adequately disclose the project's scale or expected water and energy consumption.
The settlement, approved by the Pine Island City Council, will make Project Skyway the first Minnesota data center reviewed by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Google and developer Ryan Companies said they support the resolution, while Mayor Brandi Veith Staloch said the additional oversight could help the project proceed responsibly. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has separately raised concerns that the development could impose billions of dollars in costs on Xcel Energy customers, a claim Xcel disputes.