The Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled that the environmental review of a proposed Faribault hyperscale data center violated state law by failing to adequately analyze air pollution, noise, greenhouse gas emissions, and cumulative effects — ordering the city to revise its study. The decision sets a notable precedent for data center environmental reviews across the state, including Hermantown.
Read Full StoryStrong Towns founder Charles Marohn examines how Hermantown — a city of 10,000 with a $1M public works budget — is being asked to take on $130M in Google infrastructure and a 28-year tax abatement deal that far exceeds its institutional capacity to evaluate or sustain.
Read Full StoryThe citizen group filed a new civil lawsuit alleging the city violated spot-zoning rules and held illegal closed meetings to rezone the Adolph neighborhood for Google's data center — demanding the city vacate its 2045 comprehensive plan.
Read Full StoryReporter Kaomi Lee investigates the secrecy surrounding "Project Loon" and the growing bipartisan support for greater transparency in how the Hermantown data center deal was negotiated behind closed doors.
Watch SegmentThe environmental review process for Google's proposed Hermantown data center has become a flashpoint in the community, with residents and advocates questioning whether the review was conducted transparently or with adequate public input.
Read Full StoryA closer look at what the proposed Google data center would actually mean for Hermantown residents — jobs, taxes, water usage, power costs, and the broader question of whether the community's needs are being weighed against corporate interests.
Read Full StoryA deep dive into the grassroots Stop the Hermantown Data Center movement — 5,000+ strong on Facebook — and their uphill battle against Google, NDAs, and local officials who kept the public in the dark for over a year.
Read Full StoryThe City of Hermantown voted against requiring an Environmental Assessment Worksheet for the proposed data center project, a decision that critics argue bypasses important environmental safeguards for a facility of this scale.
Read Full StoryMCEA and Stop the Hermantown Data Center filed an appeal of the city's environmental review, arguing the study lacked legally required analysis and that the city concealed the project's true nature from the public for over a year.
Read Full StoryCities courting AI data center investment are being asked to sign non-disclosure agreements before learning basic details — raising serious questions about public accountability and democratic oversight of major infrastructure decisions.
Read Full StoryThe controversial "Project Loon" hyperscale data center proposal in Hermantown advances through city approval processes even as residents and environmental groups push back against the development.
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