Hyperscale data centers do not belong across the street from homes.
When I talk to people about the proposed data center in Monticello, I hear the same concern again and again:
People believe the decision has already been made. They believe developers will get what they want and ordinary residents no longer have a meaningful voice.
I understand why people feel that way.
But I do not believe the future of our communities has already been written.
I am the only Senate candidate in District 29 who has publicly and unequivocally opposed placing hyperscale data centers near existing residential neighborhoods. I have proposed keeping them at least two miles from existing housing, and I will fight to make that protection part of Minnesota law.
The other candidates have chosen not to oppose these projects.
I have.
This issue is not about whether technology is good or bad.
It is about whether industrial-scale developments belong next to neighborhoods, schools, parks, lakes, farms, and communities that families have spent decades building.
Developers talk about jobs.
Residents are asking different questions:
The people who live here deserve answers before decisions are made—not after.
When people hear the word “environment,” they often think of wilderness.
So do I.
I support protecting the Boundary Waters, the Gunflint Trail, our lakes, wetlands, wildlife habitat, and Minnesota’s outdoor heritage.
But our communities are part of our environment too.
The roads our children ride their bikes on. The parks where families gather. The neighborhoods where people have invested their savings. The farms, woods, wetlands, and open spaces that make Wright County unique. The ability to step outside at night and still see the stars.
Those things matter.
And once they are gone, they are very difficult to get back.
Some people believe there is nothing left to do.
That is not true.
The Minnesota Court of Appeals recently found that Faribault’s review of a proposed data center failed to adequately explain significant environmental impacts.
That decision reinforces an important principle: government must gather facts, explain its decisions, and not simply dismiss legitimate concerns about projects of this scale.
The Legislature also has the authority to act.
If elected to the Minnesota Senate, I will work to:
I am both a fiscal conservative and an environmental conservative.
That is why I oppose placing hyperscale data centers in Monticello, Buffalo, or anywhere adjacent to established residential neighborhoods in Senate District 29.
These facilities are industrial-scale developments with long-term impacts on infrastructure, land use, environmental resources, and community character.
They do not belong across the street from homes.
I am the only candidate on the District 29 Senate ballot who has publicly and unequivocally taken that position.
