Dear Friends,

Some brave and selfless folks on the Coalition Board have been working with our lobbying friends to bring a number of bills to protect Minnesota from issues caused by data centers. One important bill is a moratorium to pause permitting and establish reasonable regulation for these data centers.

Unfortunately and not surprisingly, it seems the moratorium may not even get a hearing due to some legislators stonewalling it.  Would you please send letters to these folks and encourage them to get a hearing on the agenda?  More info is below.

Thank you.

P.S.  Writing to Nick Frentz is really important. He may be the force behind the North Mankato data center, which is even bigger than Farmington's, and their aquifer is even more fragile than ours. 

MORE INFO:
 

**Per Senator McEwen - There is a danger that the bill won't even get a committee hearing as it is "hung up by leadership"  Please write to ask senator Frentz, chair of Energy, Utilities, Environment, and Climate Committee, and the DFL leadership listed below, to understand the urgency and schedule the bill for a hearing.  We can't testify if there is no hearing.**  

Friends, we MUST pressure DFL leadership in the next several days.  At minimum, the bill deserves a committee hearing.  Please include the bill number SF4298 when you contact.  

1. Zach Stephenson - DFL leader in the house: rep.zack.stephenson@house.mn.gov

2. Nick Frentz, chair of senate energy committee: use form on website https://www.senate.mn/members/member_bio.html?mem_id=1224

3. Erin Murphy, DFL senate majority leader:  use form on website https://www.senate.mn/members/member_bio.html?mem_id=1248

4. Governor Walz  - email a message to governor's office https://mn.gov/governor/connect/contact-us/contact-form.jsp

THANK YOU- Please share with anyone that may take action also. Here is a sample form letter you can use: 

Dear {Member of Congress}:
We, your constituents, call on you to support a national moratorium on the approval and construction of new data centers. The rapid expansion of data centers across the United States, driven by the generative artificial intelligence (AI) and crypto boom, presents one of the biggest environmental and social threats of
our generation. This expansion is rapidly increasing demand for energy, driving more fossil fuel
pollution, straining water resources, and raising electricity prices across the country. All of this
compounds the significant and concerning impacts AI is having on society, including lost jobs, social
instability and economic concentration.

The harms of data center growth are increasingly well-established, and they are massive. The rapid, largely unregulated rise of data centers to fuel the AI and crypto frenzy is disrupting communities across the country and threatening Americans’ economic, environmental, climate and water security. We urge you to join our call for a national moratorium on new data centers until adequate regulations can be enacted to fully protect our communities, our families, our environment and our health from the runaway damage this industry is already inflicting.

Sincerely, [your name]