A Midwest company is punting on including Minnesota in a large carbon storage project and organizers who opposed the effort said the instinct to read a corporation's intentions also apply to data center fights.
Summit Carbon Solutions said Minnesota and the Dakotas were taken off its pipeline route to capture ethanol plant emissions for underground storage. South Dakota's firm stance on landowner rights influenced planning and opponents brought attention to Summit's shifting desire to convert emissions into fossil fuels.
Sarah Mooradian, government relations and policy director for the rural-centric advocacy group CURE MN, said the project is a reminder residents should press companies for details early.
“It's a good example why we always look at the big picture, whether that's CO2 pipelines or right now with data centers,” Mooradian explained. “A lot of times, understandably, companies come in with promises.”
She added corporate promises made during planning are not always enforceable.
Several Minnesota communities are considering hyperscale data centers led by Big Tech firms, with debate focused in part on potential environmental harms. Companies have pledged to protect natural resources and Mooradian stressed CURE does not want to stop towns from accepting projects that are a good fit for them. But she recommended residents gather facts before decisions are final.
In 2025, the Minnesota Legislature adopted a series of new data center regulations, but CURE says they mainly focused on energy and taxes, and that state lawmakers fell short this year in adding critical safeguards. In the meantime, Mooradian urged, residents in project areas need to stay vigilant.
“These are some of the biggest, wealthiest corporations in the world,” Mooradian pointed out. “They're very well-versed in how to negotiate for their own best terms, so making sure our communities aren't walked all over is important.”
As for the Summit project, the company has suggested Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota are not completely off the table for future phases. Its immediate focus is building the pipeline network out of Iowa and extending west through Nebraska and into Wyoming.
Source: Public News Service
