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LCCMR approves two statewide water tools to screen data-center and large-user impacts
Summary
The Legislative Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources approved full funding for two projects — a statewide water-sustainability model and a Minnesota Water Risk Atlas — after presentations and a lengthy debate over whether data-center impacts qualify as an "emerging issue." Both motions included delegation of staff authority to approve work plans if the governor concurs.
The Legislative Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources voted this morning to fund two projects aimed at giving communities and regulators better information about how large water users — notably data centers — affect streams and groundwater.
In separate roll-call votes the commission approved funding for “Water sustainability in the era of data centers” (motion passed 12–5) and for the “Minnesota Water Risk Atlas” (motion passed 11–6). Both motions included authority for staff to approve the project work plans if the governor signs the appropriation.
The proposals were the two finalists from the LCCMR’s Emerging Issues account. Dr. Nigel Pickering of Geosyntech, presenting for University of Minnesota co‑investigator John Niebuhr, described a statewide expansion of a pilot water-withdrawal management framework (current pilot budget…
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