By Matthew Stolle
Publication Date: 2026-05-31 11:45:00
PINE ISLAND — A
Goodhue County judge’s order putting a hold on construction of a Google-backed data center
in Pine Island has infused opponents with a new sense of hope and even belief that they can impact and alter the project, if not stop it altogether.
Up until the issuing of the judge’s temporary restraining order, many of its opponents described feeling helpless about a project that, in their eyes, had an air of inevitability. That all changed with the ruling by Goodhue District Judge Patrick M. Biren on Friday, May 22, 2026, putting a pause on the project.
“There were plenty of people that I think were thinking, ‘Oh, it’s a done deal, because that’s how the city and Ryan Companies (the project developer) came across. There’s nothing you can do. Why bother?’” said Nicole Mills, a Pine Island businesswoman. “Now they’re like, ‘Wait a minute. Maybe we can actually stop this thing or at the very…
