Hermantown residents oppose City Council approval of Google data center
Hermantown residents continued speaking out against the City Council’s unanimous approval of Google’s proposed data center. Residents criticized the limited access and security measures at the approval meeting and raised concerns about impacts on forests, wetlands, air and water.
The Hermantown City Council unanimously approved Google’s proposed data center at a special meeting on Oct. 30. The council limited attendance in the chamber to the first 85 people, prompting criticism from residents who said the restrictions and law-enforcement presence hindered public participation.
At the council’s following meeting, residents continued to oppose the decision and asked officials to use a larger venue for future Google-related meetings. Julie Ernst, a Hermantown resident, criticized the project’s potential environmental impacts and said the city was pursuing an economic solution at the expense of forests, wetlands, air and water.