The City of Hermantown completed an AUAR to study the impacts of the data center. We believe this is insufficient and needs a more thorough study to properly assess impacts to the environment, community, and residents.
The City of Hermantown amended its town's comprehensive plan without the final approval of the steering committee, changing it without their recommendation or knowledge.
(Under "September, 2025 – AUAR Industrial Final")
There are a lot of acronyms being used throughout our web page so we have included a short listfor reference.
1. EQB - Environmental Quality Board - a state agency that coordinates environmental policy and oversees the environmental review process for projects in Minnesota.
2. AUAR - Alternative Urban Areawide Review - process used to analyze the environmental impact of future development across a large area. General used to assess multiple scenarios. Essentially combines EAW and EIS process
3. EAW - Environmental Assessment Worksheet - A worksheet lays out the basic facts of a proposed project to see if a more detailed Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is required.
4. EIS - Environmental Impact Statement - A document that provides a full and fair discussion of significant environmental impacts, present a range of alternatives, and inform the public and agency decision-makers.
5. GEIS - Generic Environmental Impact Statement - is a broad, comprehensive study of the potential environmental impacts of a specific type of development or activity, rather than a single project. It is used to analyze complex issues that would be too difficult or repetitive to assess on a case-by-case basis. Typically requested by the EQB
6. SUP - Special Use Permit -a special type of permit that allows a property owner to develop a specific type of property or activity that is not automatically permitted under the area's existing zoning rules.
7. CIP - Commercial Industrial Development Permit - the development approval that goes along with the SUP for this type of project.
8. Comp Plan - Comprehensive Plan - the city’s long-term policy document that guides land use, growth, and development priorities.
9. Hyperscale Data Center - a very large data storage and processing facility built for major tech firms or cloud service providers — typically requiring massive electrical and cooling infrastructure
10. NDA - non-disclosure agreement - a legally binding contract that prevents parties from sharing specific confidential information with others. It is used to protect sensitive data like trade secrets, business strategies, and client information from being disclosed to people not authorized by the agreement.
While this isn’t an all inclusive list of government acronyms it will give you a start with understanding the documents.