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Committee advances bill to require early DNR coordination and create a water‑availability atlas for large water users, including data centers
Summary
House File 3007, addressing water use, review and siting for hyperscale data centers and other large water users, was laid over after extensive testimony from environmental groups, industry, utilities and DNR; testimony covered water intensity, confidentiality for proposers and concerns about vague notification requirements for local officials.
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The committee laid over House File 3007 as amended, a bill that would require early coordination between large water‑use project proposers and the Department of Natural Resources and direct the department to develop a statewide water‑availability atlas to guide siting decisions.
Representative Fisher moved and the committee adopted an A2 amendment that added technical DNR language, created a pre‑application evaluation process for large appropriations and directed development of a water‑availability atlas to help prospective large water users understand where water is likely to be available.
Supporters and opponents testified at length. Sarah Meradian, government relations and policy director for CURE, said Minnesota needs time and public input to consider how and where hyperscale data centers should be sited and asked lawmakers to slow proposals that would exempt data centers from review. The Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association and Minnesota Chamber witnesses said early, confidential conversations with agencies could streamline permitting; Darren Broton of Minnesota AgriGrowth and Andrew Morley of the Minnesota Chamber urged clarity and predictable timelines for applicants.
Environmental and public‑interest groups urged stronger mandatory protections. Patty O’Keefe of Vote Solar warned that data centers are water‑intensive and cited industry figures — “a single data center can consume up to 5,000,000 gallons of water per day,” she said — and asked for mandatory efficiency measures, limits on groundwater use and public transparency of siting data. The Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy said the bill is a constructive first step but urged making early coordination mandatory rather than encouraged and ensuring existing statutory environmental review is not bypassed by municipal approvals.
The Department of Natural Resources offered operational cautions. Katie Smith, director of the DNR’s Ecological and Water Resources Division, said a statewide atlas would be useful for general guidance but could not predict availability at the scale of an individual site and warned against using atlas maps to site drinking wells. DNR recommended drawing on U.S. Geological Survey studies and county‑scale groundwater atlases where available and noted the atlas would require periodic updates.
The committee heard specific drafting concerns from the League of Minnesota Cities about a provision that would require any city or county employee to notify DNR within 10 days if they learn of a potential large water appropriation; the league called the language vague and suggested making the proposer responsible for initiating contact with the DNR rather than requiring municipal staff to monitor vendor conversations.
Chair Fisher and members said they would continue work on clarifying notification thresholds and other language. The A2‑amended bill was laid over for possible inclusion in future omnibus legislation.
