By Madison Hunter
Publication Date: 2026-05-26 23:49:00
PINE ISLAND, Minn. (FOX 9) – The construction on a Google-backed data center on Pine Island has been temporarily halted by a Goodhue County judge.
Pine Island data center construction halted
What we know:
According to a press release from the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy (MCEA), the judge issued the order to stop construction on May 22, just weeks before it was slated to begin.
The order was given to allow a lawsuit by MCEA to move forward. Their lawsuit claims that the environmental study of the Google-backed data center is “inadequate” and does not comply with Minnesota law.
MCEA says the court determined that “MCEA had a likelihood of succeeding on its claims in the lawsuit.”
The court also denied the request of the City of Pine Island and developer Ryan Companies to rule that the environmental study complies with state law.
The backstory:
MCEA filed the lawsuit in October 2025, and it argues that the environmental review didn’t have specifics on…
