SHOULD BE PROTECTED.

♪ ♪ HERE WITH MORE ON THIS DEVELOPING STORY, GREATER MINNESOTA REPORTER KAOMI LEE.

GOOD REPORTING.

I MEAN, REALLY, THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT STORY.

>> Kaomi: THANK YOU.

>> Cathy: IT SEEMS LIKE THERE ARE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT THINGS THAT ARE LIGHTING FOLKS UP AROUND HERMANTOWN.

THE NONDISCLOSURE AGREEMENTS, WHY DOES THIS HAVE TO BE SO SECRETIVE?

>> Kaomi: WELL, CITY OFFICIALS WILL SAY THAT NDAs, NONDISCLOSURE AGREEMENTS ARE JUST A REGULAR PART OF THEIR PROCESS WHEN THEY ARE, YOU KNOW, LOOKING FOR DEVELOPMENT TO COME IN, AND THAT, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW THAT THESE DATA CENTERS, THAT IT IS THESE TECH COMPANIES, ABOUT A HANDFUL OF THEM, THAT ARE REALLY DRIVING THE GROWTH IN THIS.

AND THEY ARE -- THEY WANT A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE AND, THEREFORE, THEY'RE REQUIRING THE CONFIDENTIALITY.

I THINK WHAT WE ARE SEEING, THOUGH, THAT IT'S -- YOU KNOW, THESE NONDISCLOSURE AGREEMENTS ARE BEING SIGNED BY ALSO PUBLIC OFFICIALS, SO YOU'VE GOT IN St.

LOUIS COUNTY, THERE WERE THREE COMMISSIONERS, AND ALSO I THOUGHT INTERESTINGLY, TOO, ERIC FORCEMAN, WHO'S A DULUTH CITY COUNSELOR, ALSO WORKS FOR MINNESOTA POWER, AND WE SAW IN THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT, THAT THESE EMAILS CAME TO LIGHT THAT FORCE MAN IS INVOLVED WITH PEAKING WITH MORTENSON, SPEAKING WITH THE CITY, AND, IN FACT, ONE OF THE KICKOFF MEETINGS HAPPENED AT ELITE MINNESOTA POWER FOR PROJECT LOON.

AND, YOU KNOW, THAT IS ONE OF THE THINGS WITH THE MINNESOTA CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCACY THAT, YOU KNOW, WITH THESE ELECTED OFFICIALS, IT'S BASICALLY LOBBYING BEHIND CLOSED DOORS ND THE PUBLIC IS UNAWARE.

NOW, THE CITY, YOU KNOW, WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

WELL, FOR EXAMPLE, THE HERMANTOWN DATA CENTER COULD TAKE MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF WATER, COULD CONSUME MASSIVE AMOUNTS, THESE DATA CENTERS, WE KNOW.

>> Cathy: AND THIS LAND IS IN A WETLAND.

>> Kaomi: YEAH.

THEY TAKE A LOT OF WATER.

AND HE CITY OF HERMANTOWN GETS ITS WATER FROM THE CITY OF DULUTH.

AND IN THE EVENT THAT THIS DATA CENTER WOULD ACTUALLY NEED MORE WATER RESOURCES AND THAT THE CITY OF HERMANTOWN WOULD ASK FOR AN INCREASE IN ITS ALLOTMENT, THAT WOULD COME UP IN FRONT OF THE DULUTH CITY COUNCIL.

NOW, FORCE MAN SAYS -- FORSMAN SAYS THAT IT'S NOT LIKELY TO HAPPEN, THAT THE RATE OF CONSUMPTION OF THIS DATA CENTER IS ONLY 50,000 GALLONS A DAY, BUT CRITICS AY, WELL, THE ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW DIDN'T ACTUALLY SPECIFY OF THAT IT WAS A DATA CENTER AND, SO, THEY DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT THE CONSUMPTION -- TRUE CONSUMPTION IS GOING TO BE.

>> Cathy: I WOULD THINK, TOO, THAT THE ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW, AS I SAY, THERE'S A WETLAND INVOLVED IN HERE, AND YOU CAN SEE A FAIR AMOUNT OF FOREST, YOU KNOW.

I MEAN, I WOULD THINK THIS IS A FAIRLY SENSITIVE AREA IN NORTHEASTERN MINNESOTA.

WHAT ABOUT AN EXTENDED ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW, WOULD THAT BE NEEDED?

>> Kaomi: WELL, HAT'S SOMETHING THAT I THINK THE CITIZENS GROUP WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT A STRONGER ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT WOULD BE DONE.

YOU KNOW, THE CITY ELECTED TO DO AN AUAR, WHICH IS AN ALTERNATIVE URBAN AREAWIDE REVIEW.

THAT TYPE OF EVIEW DIDN'T ACTUALLY SPECIFY WHAT THE DEVELOPMENT WAS, AND IT'S BASICALLY LOOKING AT DIFFERENT SCENARIOS AND THEN LOOKING AT DIFFERENT MITIGATIONS.

BUT IT WASN'T SPECIFIC TO A DATA CENTER, AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT THE MCEA, THEY FILED THEIR LAWSUIT, THEY ARE ASKING FOR A MORE STRINGENT ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW.

>> Eric: FOR LANDOWNERS, IS THIS MORE THAN JUST THE GARDEN VARIETY, NOT IN MY BACKYARD?

IS THAT ABOUT IT?

>> WELL, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF FOLKS THERE, YOU KNOW, THEY HOPE TO RETIRE THERE AND THEY, I THINK, WERE PROMISED THAT IT WAS GOING TO STAY A RURAL RESIDENTIAL AND FOREST LAND AREA.

SOME OF THEM HAVE, YOU KNOW, FARMS.

>> Eric: SURE.

>> Kaomi: THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ACTUALLY WAS CHANGED IN APRIL OF THIS YEAR TO ALLOW FOR A REZONE INTO BUSINESS-LIKE MANUFACTURING.

SO, BEFORE THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, THE EARLIER VERSION HAD INTENDED THAT THAT AREA, YOU KNOW, THE PREFERENCE WOULD BE TO HAVE THAT AREA STAY RURAL AND NOW WITH THE CHANGING THAT HAPPENED, CURIOUSLY, THIS YEAR OF THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, THEN THAT OPENED THE DOOR FOR WHAT'S HAPPENING.

>> Eric: KEEP TRACK OF IT FOR US.

WE'LL HAVE OU BACK.

>> Cathy: WOW, INTERESTING