Hyperscale data centers’ real-world resource demands impact many aspects of our lives: energy, water, air, noise, light, land use, public trust, and the economy, to name a few. Yet Minnesota’s so-called “nation-leading” data center law passed in 2025 only addresses energy and some economics—namely taxes—leaving communities around the state scrambling to understand and address the laundry list of potential negative impacts, virtually on their own. If hyperscale data centers plan to operate in Minnesota, our communities need these legal protections at a minimum.

Minnesota is racing to keep up with a surge in hyperscale data center proposals, but does its “nation-leading” 2025 law adequately protect communities? CURE breaks down what the current laws actually do—and don’t—on taxes, energy costs, and water use, and why more action is still needed.