Hermantown accepts AUAR scoping document as residents demand full EIS and more transparency

Hermantown City Council voted to accept a scoping document that will begin drafting an Alternative Urban Areawide Review (AUAR) for a proposed hyperscale data center in the city’s southwest planning area. City staff said the scoping acceptance starts the next step in an environmental-review process that will produce a draft AUAR and a mitigation plan, each to be public noticed for comment through the summer and returned to the council in the fall.

The vote followed more than two hours of public comment in which dozens of residents raised environmental, procedural and economic concerns. “It’s a waste of time and money,” said Jim Klukert, who urged the council to “turn it around and say no.” Sarah Lofald, a frequent commenter, said the AUAR lacks critical project details and asked the council to require a full environmental impact statement (EIS) before moving forward.

City Administrator John Mulder told the council the scoping process included 235 public comments and five agency submissions and that Braun Intertec and Kimley‑Horn will lead drafting with more in-depth study of water, wildlife, noise, lighting, and infrastructure. “The next step would be the development of the AUAR,” Mulder said; staff said the draft will be published and followed by a 30‑day comment period.

Consultants described the AUAR role and limits. Travis Fristedt of Braun Intertec explained scoping identifies resources and topics that need deeper analysis and that some issues—such as air‑pollution permits or heavy‑industrial review—may require separate permitting or review outside the AUAR. Leila Bungy of Kimley‑Horn said the draft AUAR will study additional topics requested by commenters, including fire risk, deicing strategies, e‑waste, groundwater interactions and alternatives analysis.

Residents disputed aspects of the scoping responses and the character of the review. Emma Rickman and others said the city’s change to zoning language and the decision to use an AUAR rather than an EIS appear to have been designed to fit the project into a lighter review path; Fond du Lac Band comments asking for tribal consultation were raised as insufficiently addressed in written responses. “The EIS provides depth, rigor and a more comprehensive analysis,” Rickman said.

Council members pressed staff about next steps and agency outreach. Staff confirmed the scoping acceptance authorizes further one‑on‑one follow up with agencies, and that the city, acting as the responsible governmental unit (RGU), will receive and review the draft AUAR and mitigation plan before any local permitting. Council also clarified that prior tabling of tax‑abatement and development agreements will keep those items off council agendas until after the AUAR process is complete.

The council’s acceptance of the scoping document starts a multi‑month process: staff estimates drafting and public review through the summer, with a final AUAR and mitigation plan expected in the fall. Opponents who pressed for an immediate EIS said they will continue to press the city and regulators for a more intensive review; proponents and staff say the AUAR is the defined pathway to identify impacts and mitigation measures under state rules.