Ag Commissioner candidate Vern Thompson pushing for data center talk during special session
Ag Commissioner candidate Vern Thompson is advocating for data center issues to be discussed during North Dakota's special legislative session. Senator Tim Mathern is sponsoring bills, including a proposed one-year moratorium on data center projects and a ban on NDAs for elected officials regarding data centers. Citizens are concerned about the scale, energy, water use, and tax incentives related to data centers.
Ag Commissioner candidate Vern Thompson is urging North Dakota lawmakers to prioritize discussions on data centers during an upcoming special legislative session. The session, called by Governor Kelly Armstrong, is primarily for addressing the substance kratom, but Thompson argues data centers should also be part of the conversation.
Fargo state senator Tim Mathern is supporting Thompson's initiative by sponsoring two related bills. One proposes a one-year moratorium on all data center projects across North Dakota. The second bill aims to prohibit elected officials from signing non-disclosure agreements concerning data center developments, addressing public concerns about the secrecy surrounding project details such as location, developer identity, scale, energy and water demands, and tax incentives.
Thompson reported that citizens he's engaged with throughout North Dakota consistently express a desire for a "pause" to properly evaluate data center projects. The special session is scheduled to commence on September 2nd and is anticipated to conclude within three days. KX News also noted they had contacted Applied Digital, a company with plans for a data center in North Dakota, for comment.