Staking a Claim on Community Values

Data centers might not seem like a typical theme for Minnesota Women’s Press, but we have been covering the topic since July 2025. The issue encapsulates questions society is grappling with right now:

Who gets to decide what we value in shared community, what we pay for, and what we want to see from our government?

On the one hand, giant tech corporations are making it easy for consumers to access information, products, and services via digital connections that appear seamless, invisible, and largely free. On the other hand, we seem to be in a replay of the “robber baron” era of the late 1800s, when massive fortunes were built for a few people overseeing industries in oil, steel, and railroads. Exploitation of workers and other unethical practices led to public backlash and reforms, such as the labor movement.

Today’s hyperscale data centers require power-grid connections, cooling systems, backup power generators, and up-to-date hardware. There can be variability in how centers consume energy and water, depending on design. Huge investments are made in building the structures, more so than employing people to work for them once completed. Controversial tax incentives are given to developers — like Meta, Google, Amazon — to incentivize building sites in certain locations.

Some people we have talked to believe it is good business to host these spaces; others wonder, who is it good business for? Some people we interviewed indicate environmental concerns are protected by a review process; others say there are loopholes enabling plans to be approved without standards being applied and reporting being tracked. Some tell us corporations pay property taxes that support fire trucks, school resources, and other community goods; others want to be part of prioritizing what the community needs — such as healthy trees that rely on groundwater reserves.

In This Issue

“Where Do We Go From Here?” series: This series starts with conversations with community members and advocates about statewide pain points. Residents bear the impacts of rapid development and lack of community services; this series offers educational messages and platforms to develop informed and persuasive taking points to deliver to policymakers and neighbors. In this issue, we showcase our coverage about data centers during the past few months.

https://www.womenspress.com/collective-health/

“Collective Health” series: Minnesota Women’s Press kicks off a full year of stories packaged in every print magazine, partly to balance the social heaviness around us. We surveyed membership to help shape our 2026 coverage — asking what mattered the most. A hospital chaplain indicated she would like to be able to take breaths of fresher air amid the sorrows. So, we are doubling up on these stories, which explore how neighbors are building connections, care, energy, and solutions to meet community needs.

“Future Forward” series: Introduced in this magazine, this series spotlights the work and voices of leaders — often under the age of 25 — who imagine and work to make happen system changes they want to see. We need funds to support this new series; contact community@womenspress.com.

We need your help to keep our stories free for 30,000-plus print and online readers:

“It takes a community. It’s not a one-person problem. It’s all of our problem. If we live in this community, one of the first steps is being willing to help.”

— Connie, homeless education navigator for Rochester Public Schools,from a conversation we held there about housing needs for domestic violence survivors

Future Forward — Students Who Will Make Change