North Mankato Data Center Moratorium
The North Mankato City Council held a public hearing regarding a proposed one-year moratorium on data centers, with an option to renew. Most residents spoke in favor of the moratorium but requested stricter limits on data center size, water usage, and power consumption. The council ultimately decided to table the vote.
The North Mankato City Council convened a public hearing to discuss a proposed moratorium on new data centers within the city limits. The proposed moratorium, if enacted, would pause the consideration or construction of new data centers for up to one year, with the possibility of extending it for an additional year.
The council chambers were reportedly filled with residents, and out of the 15 individuals who spoke, only one expressed opposition to the motion. The majority of residents voiced support for the moratorium but urged the council to reconsider its language, deeming it too broad. Specific suggestions included reducing the proposed area limit for data centers from 250,000 square feet to 100,000 square feet, lowering the water usage limit from 50,000 gallons per day to 10,000 gallons per day, and introducing a power usage limit of ten megawatts. Following the public input, the council decided to table the vote on the moratorium.