Duluth Senator to introduce data center moratorium

DULUTH, Minn. (Northern News Now) - The developments in the proposed Hermantown data center project have evoked concern from some lawmakers in the Northland.

Amid conversations around the data center project, DFL Senator Jen McEwen of Duluth is moving to pause plans for all data centers in the state.

She is introducing a bill that would put a two-year moratorium on new data center permits to allow for lawmakers to further evaluate the potential impact of data centers before new ones are built.

McEwen said the news of Google being the Fortune 50 company behind the proposed data center in Hermantown doesn’t change the fact that she wants protections in place.

She said the lack of transparency and potential environmental damages led her to introduce a bill.

RELATED: Google behind proposed Hermantown data center

“I want to make sure that the people of Hermantown and of Duluth and of our region have a say in this,” said McEwen.

A bipartisan bill was passed in 2025, putting in environmental and energy regulations for data centers, but Senator Jen McEwen wants to take data center legislation a step further this session.

McEwen says she is proposing the bill this session, so lawmakers and experts can study the potential impacts of data centers.

“So, a sort of temporary pause on the development of these hyper-scale data centers, and commission a group that would come together and work through all of these issues around data center development,” said McEwen.

She noted potential issues from data centers such as water, light, and noise pollution in the Hermantown area, as well as a lack of regulations throughout the building process.

Democratic Representative Pete Johnson of Duluth agrees.

In a statement to Northern News Now, he said, “The lack of transparency and communication has already damaged the credibility and public trust needed for a project like this.”

Google issued a statement Tuesday responding to concerns about water and energy, saying its approach would support Minnesota’s carbon-free energy goal.

They noted support of new wind generation and battery energy storage, as well as advanced air-cooling technology.

But McEwen says that these promises aren’t binding, giving the public little control over the company’s actions.

Northern News Now reached out to multiple Republican state lawmakers in the Northland to get their reaction to the Hermantown data center announcement, including Representative Natalie Zeleznikar and Senator Jason Rarick, as well as Representative Cal Warwas.

They all said they were not available for comment.

Click here to download the Northern News Now app or our Northern News Now First Alert weather app.