Minnesota Lawmakers and Activists Call for Moratorium on Data Centers

"Not only are these multi-billion-dollar corporations building data centers outside of the public eye, but they’re also getting tax breaks from the state to do it.”

By: Mikki Morrissette

Outlets: Minnesota Women's Press

Published: February 19, 2026

Words: 1,706

Last Updated: 2 weeks, 1 day ago

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Environmental advocates, union representatives, engineers and state lawmakers gathered at the State Capitol Wednesday to call for a two-year moratorium on new hyperscale data centers, citing concerns about energy use, water consumption, environmental impacts and corporate influence. The rally brought together community members from across Minnesota who argued that the rapid expansion of large-scale data centers — driven by artificial intelligence and cloud computing demands — is outpacing state regulation and public oversight.

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