Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce voices support for controversial Pine Island data center

Amid growing opposition to Google’s proposed Pine Island data center near Rochester, a major local business organization is voicing its full support for the project.

The Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce, the second largest chamber in the state, announced it is formally backing the controversial massive data center proposal, known as Project Skyway.

Pine Island, where the data center would be built, is about 15 miles north of Rochester, but the chamber’s president, Ryan Parsons, said the economy of the entire region will benefit from new jobs the project will create.

"The job growth that will occur as a result of this in the short term is going to be 700 construction jobs,” Parsons told MPR News. “When we look long term, this will generate a little over 100 new employees in this Google project."

Parsons says this will make the data center the second largest employer in Pine Island after the Land O'Lakes dairy processing facility.

The mega project has been taking a lot of heat recently from southern Minnesota political candidates like DFLer Jake Johnson, who is running to oust Republican U.S. Rep. Brad Finstad, as well as local residents and environmentalists. The fierce community opposition has even spurred some political newcomers to run for local office in Pine Island, as well as in other communities across Minnesota.

The big tech companies behind the hyperscale data center proposals, and their developers, are taking notice of the grassroots opposition to them. Google, for example, recently launched a charm offensive in both Hermantown, near Duluth, and Pine Island, where it is hoping to build enormous data centers. The company held open houses and community celebrations to try to smooth over some ruffled feathers and win over naysayers in town.

Parsons said he’s aware of the opposition to Project Skyway, but he maintains that the immense capital investment and job growth will do wonders for the region.

“This is an outstanding opportunity for a community, especially as they look at what they'll need to continue to grow,” Parsons said.

Google has also promised to invest $24 million into Pine Island schools over the course of 20 years if its project is approved, in addition to the significant amount of property tax revenue the company will pay.

Parsons encourages opponents of the project to learn more about them, explaining that Google and the developer, Ryan Companies, have been very willing to share information, provide resources and answer questions about the proposal.

Critics say that recent openness to sharing details about the projects comes after months and even years of developing their proposals in secrecy, having local government officials sign non-disclosure agreements to keep the plans from being revealed. Google didn’t even acknowledge it was behind the Pine Island project until after the City Council had approved the proposal.

The data center is currently on pause as a judge considers whether the project requires further environmental review.

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