HERMANTOWN — A new obstacle confronting potential plans to bring a data center to the rural southwest corner of this community emerged in the form of a lawsuit Wednesday.

Opponents challenge whether the sprawling proposed data center — which could reach 1.8 million square feet in size when fully developed — has undergone adequate environmental review.

The case was brought by two plaintiffs: the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy and a group of concerned citizens who united to form a nonprofit called Stop the Hermantown Data Center, or SHDC for short.

The suit against Hermantown is the fifth case involving data centers proposed across the state that MCEA has now joined.

“The reason we have multiple lawsuits on this is because of this troubling trend of secrecy we’re seeing ac

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