A state-wide data center moratorium is set to be proposed in Minnesota.

Senator Jen McEwen, a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor party, said in February that she was proposing a bill that would impose a “two-year pause on all data center construction in the state so that lawmakers and regulators can study how exactly these centers could negatively impact our communities, our energy grid, and the precious natural resources we hold dear.

“This bill would prevent agencies from issuing new permits to data centers until the study is complete and we have had the chance to enact a regulatory framework that puts Minnesotans and our beloved nature first.”

A bill has not yet been submitted to the Minnesota legislature, but McEwen said that the bill would be introduced during this legislative session, which is set to end on May 18.

McEwen reiterated to Northern News Now that this would only be “a temporary pause on the development of these hyperscale data centers.”

At the time of writing, there are no state-wide moratoria on data center construction, but McEwan's potential proposals would place Minnesota among the ranks of New York State, Virginia, Vermont, Oklahoma, Maryland, Georgia, Maine, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, all of which are considering whether to impose such restrictions.

Minneapolis is the state’s data center hotspot. But proposals to build facilities elsewhere have attracted opposition from local residents, some of whom have been calling for a moratorium.

For instance, a proposal to build a data center in Pine Island, a city located in southern Minnesota, has attracted a notable amount of controversy ever since developer Ryan Companies submitted its application in October.

Google revealed last week that it was behind the project.