MAPLETON, N.D. (KFGO) – Dozens of Cass County residents packed the Mapleton Community Center on Tuesday night for a sometimes contentious Harmony Township board meeting that saw public debate over a proposed 540-megawatt data center shut down, while regional power providers warned that a proposed two-year energy development freeze could jeopardize the power grid.
Township Board Chairman Dustin Burchill refused to allow attendees to comment on the data center or six proposed energy moratoria, stating the matters were not on the agenda and enforcing a policy requiring speaker cards to be submitted before the meeting began.
That sparked a sharp confrontation with Fargo attorney Joel Fremstad, who represents former township chairman Tom Roden. Fremstad warned supervisors that Thursday’s scheduled moratorium hearing is legally void due to defective and conflicting public notices, and he directly criticized the board for advancing resolutions he said were “drafted on ChatGPT”.
Supervisors then voted to retain Fargo law firm O’Keeffe O’Brien Lyson as local counsel and Minneapolis-based Eckland & Blando as special litigation counsel. Fremstad objected, arguing the board was bringing in out-of-state attorneys to drive a “one-way train” toward blanket bans.
Dozens of people attended the meeting. Photo: KFGO News.
The most significant warnings of the evening came from regional energy executives. Harmony Township is considering six separate 24-month moratoria that would halt new approvals and construction for data centers, solar facilities, wind projects, battery storage, natural gas power generation, and electric transmission lines.
Minnkota Power President and CEO Mac McLennan told supervisors the township sits at a critical intersection where the high-voltage transmission grid meets the WBI interstate natural gas pipeline. McLennan cautioned that moving power lines and gas pipes away from that strategic hub costs $5 million to $7 million per mile. Moving the infrastructure 10 miles away, he noted, would add roughly $60 million in costs that cooperative members would have to pay.
Former state senator and current Cass County Commissioner Tony Grindberg, speaking on behalf of Xcel Energy, also urged the board to abandon the freeze. Grindberg said Xcel is actively developing the Dakota Prairie Project, a 140-megawatt natural gas peaking plant planned adjacent to its existing Bison Substation. He warned that a two-year moratorium creates substantial uncertainty for long-term power reliability.
Following the meeting, Geronimo Power President and CEO Blake Nixon announced the company is hosting a resident and landowner open house at the Mapleton Community Center on Wednesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The Harmony Township Board of Supervisors is scheduled to hold a public hearing and vote on the six moratoria Thursday at 7 p.m.
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