Jake Johnson Releases Plan Calling for Data Center Moratorium

PINE ISLAND, MN — Today, Jake Johnson announced his plan for a moratorium on the construction of data centers until key protections and guarantees can be made.

“At almost every town hall meeting I’ve held, I’ve heard grave concerns about data centers being built across southern Minnesota,” said Jake Johnson. “When Congress is bought and paid for by big corporations, it’s not surprising that they’ll vote to make it easier to build data centers right here in our backyard. I don’t take any corporate PAC money, so I can actually go to Washington and fight to stop these data centers in their tracks. I won’t let some career politicians and tech billionaires sell out our communities and destroy our way of life.”

In his plan, Jake calls for a pause to the construction of new data centers until the following four criteria can be met:

1. Keep Our Bills Down

Data centers should have to pay their own way if they’re going to be built, not pass the cost on to local residents in our communities. One analysis found that “data centers are sending power bills soaring” and U.S. electric bills have risen at twice the rate of inflation. Around the country, water taps have gone dry and the cost of water has soared when data centers moved in. These data centers should not be built if the costs are borne by working families.

2. Protect Our Farmland and Natural Resources

Data centers pose real risks to our farmland, and to polluting our air and water. Southern Minnesota has some of the most productive agricultural land anywhere, but this land is also a target for data center developers. Once thousands of acres are taken out of production, we can’t simply get them back. Some data centers use enormous diesel turbines whose air pollution has led to increased cases of asthma, more hospitalizations, and premature deaths. Water deserves particular protection. Southern Minnesota’s groundwater, rivers, farms, fishing, and communities are too important to gamble with. Any data center proposal must take adequate steps to protect our farmland, water, air, and natural resources.

3. Make Sure the Economic Gains are Realized in Southern Minnesota

If data centers are built in southern Minnesota, local workers should share in the benefits. One analysis found that data centers create fewer permanent jobs than often claimed. Before any ground is broken, it should be guaranteed that data center construction will lead to good-paying union jobs for local Minnesotans. Furthermore, the economic profits from these massive technology investments must be realized here in southern Minnesota. This means no taxpayer giveaways for data centers. Trillion dollar tech companies must not get billions of dollars in special loopholes and tax breaks.

4. No Secret Deals or NDAs 

Communities deserve to know what they’re signing up for. Local officials should not be bound by nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) that keep residents in the dark about data center plans. Companies need to make legally binding disclosures about what exactly they are going to build, what electricity and water they will use, and what impacts it will have on our water, air, and way of life. And there needs to be a deliberative and open process before any project moves forward, so that the residents who will be affected have time to see the facts, ask questions, and make their voices heard. That includes if and when tribal lands are being implicated.

If any of the above conditions aren’t met, then no deal and no data center.

While Jake is releasing plans to stop big tech companies from exploiting our small towns, Brad Finstad is chasing donations from them. Both Google, the company attempting to force a data center into Pine Island, and Xcel Energy, the company that will power it, have donated to Finstad’s reelection campaign.

At 7:30pm tonight, Jake will host a major press conference at Trailhead Park in Pine Island, surrounded by local residents from across the political spectrum who oppose Google’s data center proposal. Jake’s press conference will immediately follow a “community event” hosted by Google to “celebrate” their $24 million payoff to Pine Island Schools to try to force the community to accept their extractive project.

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