Everywhere I go, I talk to Minnesotans concerned about how data centers will raise our electric bills, damage our prime farmland, threaten our water, and all for what, exactly, in return? Folks are right to be concerned, and over 100 local communities have already said no to data centers.
I support a moratorium on data centers until we know that Southern Minnesota is getting a fair deal. This means no new data centers in our communities unless they ensure that our electrical bills don’t go up, that our land and resources are protected, that the economic gains are realized here in southern Minnesota, and that there is an open process with no secrets around these projects. Out of state tech giants should not be taking advantage of our communities to make massive profits for their investors and executives. And if they can’t meet these rules, we shouldn’t be building them.
Keep Our Bills Down
I’m a working class guy, and I’m running for Congress to make life cheaper and easier in southern Minnesota. And data centers represent the exact opposite for families like mine. One nationwide 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. We can’t be supporting these data centers if they’re going to raise costs for working families.
Data centers should have to pay their way if they’re going to be built. They should own the full cost of their operations, not pass them on to local residents in our communities.
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 a target for data center developers. Once thousands of acres are taken out of production, we can’t simply get them back. Development decisions should reflect what that land is worth to farmers, rural communities, and the next seven generations, not just what it’s worth to a out-of-state technology company today.
And 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.
Data centers also take a severe toll on the quality of life of their neighbors. Nearby residences to a data center are treated to a constant humming noise. Imagine having an idling truck in your driveway, all the time.
It’s unconscionable and we have to fix these issues before we go forward with new data centers.
Make Sure the Economic Gains are Realized in Southern Minnesota
If data centers are going to be built here, our local workers doing the work should share in the benefits. The big tech companies often made grand promises, but most data centers don’t deliver. One analysis found that data centers create fewer permanent jobs than are often claimed and don’t lead to higher wages. Our communities deserve real jobs, not inflated numbers. Before any ground is broken, we should ensure that data center construction will lead to good-paying union jobs with safe working conditions for local Minnesotans.
We also need to ensure that the economic profits from these massive technology investments are realized here in southern Minnesota. This means no taxpayer giveaways for data centers. Trillion dollar tech companies can afford to pay their fair share of state and local taxes, not get billions of dollars in special loopholes and tax breaks just to incentivize them to come here.
No Secret Deals or NDAs
Our 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.
A billion-dollar project should not depend on secrecy to get approved. If it’s a good deal, companies should be willing to make an honest case to the public.
No Deal, No Data Center
Corrupt deals with big tech companies are increasing utility costs and undercutting agriculture around the country, but it doesn’t need to be that way here. As our representative, I will stand up for our families, farmers, and communities and demand a moratorium on data center construction until these conditions are met.
This isn’t intended to be anti-tech, but rather to make sure that innovation actually serves the people of southern Minnesota. If tech companies want to build data centers here, they can negotiate publicly and in good faith. They can create good jobs for construction and operation. They can pay their fair share of taxes. And they can account for their own costs, from electricity to water demands. If not? No deal, no data center.