‘Stop the Hermantown Data Center’ holds meeting with MCEA on current lawsuit

Residents of Hermantown, Minnesota, gathered at the Solway Town Hall to discuss ongoing concerns over a proposed 1.8 million square foot data center planned for Morris Thomas Road and Midway Road. The project, backed by an anonymous Fortune 50 company, is expected to create hundreds of jobs and millions in tax revenue, but has sparked significant local opposition regarding its potential impacts on the environment, property values, and more.

The group "Stop the Hermantown Data Center" held a meeting with representatives from the Minnesota Center of Environmental Advocacy (MCEA), who are partnering with residents in a lawsuit against the City of Hermantownt. Filed on November 5th, the lawsuit alleges that the city did not disclose that the proposed site would be a data center and failed to fully evaluate its potential environmental impacts through an adequate review process.

While the City of Hermantown maintained its Alternative Urban Areawide Review (AUAR) was sufficient, MCEA representatives, including those present at the meeting, argued that the review lacked transparency and did not properly assess a data center's unique environmental effects, treating it as a typical light industrial use. They emphasized the need for a mandatory Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and broader statewide legal improvements to ensure communities can make informed decisions about data center developments. MCEA confirmed that discussions are underway with parties involved in the lawsuit, but no further updates were shared.