Pine Island data center to get new environmental review

A controversial proposed Google data center in Pine Island will be the first in Minnesota to undergo a new, more-robust environmental review as part of a lawsuit settlement reached this week.

The data center, known as Project Skyway, has been on hold for months after the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy (MCEA) filed a lawsuit, arguing that the original environmental review of the proposal wasn’t thorough enough. The nonprofit said that Google failed to disclose basic information about the project, including its size, scale and projected water and energy use.

The settlement, approved in a unanimous vote by the Pine Island City Council on Wednesday, puts an end to the litigation involving th...