An electrical substation is adjacent to a solar farm north of Mapleton, North Dakota. The Bison Substation area could also become home to a battery storage site and a data center. (Photo by Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor)
HARMONY TOWNSHIP, N.D. (KFGO) – Former Harmony Township Board Chairman Tom Roden is pushing back against allegations that he manipulated local zoning regulations to advance a controversial data center project, asserting in a legal submission Monday that he disclosed his private land negotiations to township officials months before stepping down.
Fargo attorney Joel Fremstad, representing Tom and Jill Roden, submitted a 24-page letter and public statement to the township board detailing Roden’s three decades of public service and challenging the board’s handling of developer Geronimo Power’s proposed Harmony Energy Park.
According to the letter, Roden disclosed in a May 15 email to then-Township Attorney Sarah Wear and Zoning Administrator Mike Blevins that he and his wife had signed a conditional purchase agreement with Geronimo, expressly raising the potential conflict of interest and seeking legal guidance. Roden resigned from the board in August, prior to Geronimo formally filing its conditional use permit application for the 540-megawatt data center in September.
Fremstad also urged supervisors to reject six proposed 24-month moratoria scheduled for a public hearing Thursday, which would halt new approvals and construction for data centers, solar facilities, battery storage, wind projects, natural gas generation, and electric transmission lines.
Fremstad revealed that document metadata shows the draft resolutions were created within a 14-minute window on Oct. 11 using automated document-generation software known as python-docx. He argued the identical templates suggest automated drafting, potentially involving artificial intelligence, and raise serious questions about whether the sweeping bans received adequate legal and technical review.
In emailed correspondence with Fremstad, Township Board Chairman Dustin Burchill confirmed the draft resolutions were made available upon request on Oct. 11, prior to the board formally retaining replacement legal counsel.
The board is scheduled to consider appointing replacement legal counsel at its regular meeting Tuesday before taking up the moratorium votes on Thursday.
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