We, the residents and supporters of Monticello, Minnesota, respectfully call on city leaders to abandon current AI data center ordinances and development plans until our community’s energy infrastructure demonstrates long-term operational stability.

 

AI data centers are among the most energy-intensive facilities ever built, requiring enormous and continuous electricity demand to power servers, cooling systems, and computing infrastructure. These facilities often consume electricity equivalent to tens of thousands of homes operating simultaneously.

 

Before approving developments that significantly increase regional power demand, it is essential that local infrastructure demonstrate consistent reliability and operational stability.

 

Monticello is served by electricity generated in part by the Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant, operated by Xcel Energy. In recent years, this facility has experienced several operational incidents that have raised public concern and received regional and national media coverage.

 

While regulatory agencies have stated that these events did not pose immediate public safety risks, their occurrence highlights the importance of ensuring infrastructure reliability before increasing energy demand through large industrial developments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recent Incident Timeline

 

 

 

The following events have contributed to community concerns about long-term infrastructure reliability:

 

November 2022 – Major Tritium Water Leak

A pipe at the Monticello nuclear facility leaked approximately 400,000 gallons of water containing tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen. The leak was discovered during routine monitoring and reported to regulators. 

 

March 2023 – Second Leak and Plant Shutdown

A second leak was detected near the location of the original release, leading to the temporary shutdown of the plant to perform repairs and remediation. 

 

2025 – Automatic Reactor Shutdown

The facility experienced an automatic reactor shutdown due to a control valve issue, triggering an emergency safety response designed to protect the reactor system. 

 

2025 – Tritium Recovery Spill

An incident during groundwater recovery operations resulted in the release of hundreds of gallons of recovered water containing low levels of tritium within the plant site, requiring cleanup and reporting to regulators. 

 

These incidents demonstrate that the facility continues to experience operational events requiring investigation, remediation, and regulatory oversight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Infrastructure and Community Risk

 

 

 

Large AI data centers require:

 

Extremely high and continuous electricity loads
Constant cooling infrastructure
Reliable and uninterrupted power supply
Long-term grid capacity and resilience

 

 

Introducing such facilities into a region already managing aging infrastructure and recurring operational incidents could increase stress on the local power system.

 

Responsible planning requires ensuring that existing infrastructure challenges are resolved before adding large new energy demands.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proposed Community Protection Standard

 

 

 

To protect the long-term safety and stability of our community, we respectfully ask the City of Monticello to adopt the following policy approach:

 

1. Abandon current AI data center ordinances and development proposals.

 

2. Require a minimum seven-year period without major operational incidents, emergency shutdowns, or significant safety events at the Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant before reconsidering approval of large energy-intensive developments.

 

3. Conduct independent infrastructure and grid capacity assessments before approving any future high-energy-demand industrial facilities.

 

4. Encourage the development of federal regulatory standards for extremely energy-intensive AI computing facilities, allowing communities to align local policy with national infrastructure guidance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Financial and Community Impact

 

 

 

Major infrastructure incidents can create significant financial consequences, including:

 

Emergency response costs
Environmental remediation expenses
Regulatory enforcement actions
Legal disputes and litigation
Utility system upgrades or rate increases

 

 

These costs can ultimately affect local taxpayers and residents who may not have the financial ability or desire to relocate.

 

Responsible planning helps ensure that our community is not placed at unnecessary financial or infrastructure risk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our Request

 

 

 

We respectfully ask Monticello city leaders to prioritize community safety, infrastructure stability, and responsible long-term planning by abandoning current AI data center ordinances and development proposals until our regional energy infrastructure demonstrates sustained reliability.

 

A seven-year incident-free benchmark provides a clear, measurable standard that protects residents while allowing future discussions about technological development once infrastructure stability is proven.

 

Monticello deserves thoughtful planning that protects the community today while ensuring responsible growth in the future.

 

Sign this petition to encourage Monticello leaders to prioritize infrastructure stability, community safety, and responsible long-term planning.