Pine Island Google data center construction halted by court
Construction on a Google-backed data center in Pine Island, Minnesota, has been temporarily halted by a Goodhue County judge. This order allows a lawsuit filed by the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy (MCEA) to proceed, which alleges the project's environmental study is inadequate. The lawsuit claims the study lacks specifics about the data center's potential impacts, particularly regarding its massive electricity consumption.
Construction of a Google-backed data center in Pine Island, Minnesota, has been temporarily halted by a Goodhue County judge. The order, issued on May 22, came weeks before construction was set to begin and allows a lawsuit filed by the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy (MCEA) to move forward.
MCEA's lawsuit alleges that the environmental study for the data center is inadequate and fails to comply with Minnesota law. The court reportedly determined that MCEA had a high likelihood of success with its claims. The City of Pine Island and developer Ryan Companies had requested a ruling that the environmental study complied with state law, but this request was denied.
The MCEA, which filed the lawsuit in October 2025, argued that the environmental review lacked specific details about the data center, instead focusing on generic "technology center" and "light industrial development" studies. The city initially claimed there was no "end-user" identified for the project, though it was later revealed to be Google.
Abigail Hencheck, staff attorney for MCEA, emphasized that the decision acknowledges residents' concerns about the environmental impacts of the large-scale data center. She highlighted that the proposed facility could demand up to 2,700 megawatts of electricity, significantly more than Minnesota's largest power plant, which serves the Twin Cities and has a capacity of 1,700 megawatts. MCEA stressed that environmental effects of this magnitude require thorough study before any construction can commence.