MCEA Sues Lakeville and North Mankato Over Data Center Proposals

The Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy (MCEA) has filed lawsuits against the cities of Lakeville and North Mankato, challenging what it calls inadequate environmental review processes for large-scale data center proposals. The legal action, filed in Minnesota’s 1st and 5th district courts, seeks to pause both projects until a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is completed, as required by state law.

According to the MCEA, both cities used a process known as an Alternative Urban Areawide Review (AUAR) to advance their projects, but failed to clearly identify the developments as data centers. The lawsuits argue that the environmental documents lacked detail and transparency, omitting key concerns such as water usage and electricity demand—issues that could pose serious challenges to Minnesota’s clean energy goals and groundwater supplies.

“Minnesotans have a right to know where the energy will come from to power these massive facilities and how our clean air, drinking water, and quality of life will be protected,” said MCEA CEO Kathryn Hoffman. She added that the vague project descriptions do not provide the kind of transparency or public input the law requires.

With the rise of hyperscale data centers across Minnesota, driven by demand for artificial intelligence, MCEA warns that more cities are bypassing proper environmental scrutiny. The group is calling for all such proposals to undergo full EIS reviews to ensure impacts are fully evaluated—not just on a local level, but across the state.