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The Minneapolis City Council voted Thursday to impose a six-month moratorium on the establishment, re-establishment, or expansion of data centers in the city. 

The moratorium includes an exception for data centers with less than 350,000 square feet of new or expanded space that are located in the downtown area.

Council member Elliott Payne said the city needs to regulate big tech companies that are building and operating data centers.

“A six-month pause on data centers while we work to develop more permanent regulations for our whole city is a practical move to ensure we can have needed guardrails in place that protect our communities as this industry explodes,” he said.

Council member Elizabeth Shaffer voted against the moratorium. She said while it’s better than the one-year pause that was originally proposed, “it sends the message once again that Minneapolis is closed for business.”   

The interim ordinance does not require the mayor's signature. The proposed moratorium will come back in front of a council committee next month.

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The six-month halt includes an exception for data centers with less than 350,000 square feet of new or expanded space that are located in the downtown area.

Minneapolis City Council imposes six month halt on data centers

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