Monticello Data Center – Part 2

Moratoriums are for the gullible. They are for people who buy swamp land in Florida.

Most people don’t understand the word “Moratorium.” They think it means something that it doesn’t mean because it’s a fancy word they don’t hear very often. A moratorium is a temporary pause. It is not a policy. It is not the word “No.” It is a temporary pause in an activity that will be resumed when the moratorium is over.

Out here, when politicians say the word “Moratorium,” they mean “We will wait until after the election to do it.” 

Gullible people think a moratorium means there will be no data center in Monticello. People who are not gullible know that this means once the politician wins the election, they will support the data center. Otherwise, instead of calling for a moratorium, they would call for a ban.

There are at least 10 steps the Minnesota legislature could take to prevent the Monticello data center from being built. But for this to happen, there need to be enough senators and representatives to take these 10 steps.

For us in Wright County, this is a problem. The Republican incumbent, Michael Holmstrom, has said he is strongly in favor of the Monticello data center and wants to see more of them. Of course, Louis McNutt is supported by labor unions, and they say that the Monticello data center will bring lots of great union jobs, which will result in more union dues and stronger unions. (It won’t many long term jobs, but more on that later.)

The Democratic nominee, Louis McNutt, continues to waffle. At the start of the campaign, he supported the Monticello data center. He said it would bring good union jobs to the area. Then, he changed his mind and said it might be okay for it to become permanent if there were “safeguards.” (There aren’t any safeguards, but more on that later.)  Then he changed his mind again and said there needs to be a “Moratorium.” In other words, “Let’s wait until after the election to do it.” Of course, McNutt is supported by labor unions, too. What else can he do? What, me worry?

I know which unions are paying which candidates, and which construction interests are paying which candidates, because I have looked at the campaign finance reports on the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board website.

What do those of us who adamantly oppose the Monticello data center do?

Neither candidate is ideal, but Holmstrom is much less ideal than McNutt. The folks of Monticello and surrounding areas (this includes me) need to have a group conversation with McNutt and explain that his current position is unacceptable. We should explain that the only acceptable position for us is a ban on the Monticello data center, something that he could lead on if he wins the election. It might work. While McNutt has the money from the labor unions, he still doesn’t have enough votes to win the election. Maybe if someone made a clear connection between the data center and votes, he would see the light. In any event, this is District 29s only hope for representation on this issue in the Minnesota senate.