Rep. Altendorf Legislative Update

WHAT'S NEW?

The big news from the Altendorf family is that we have our second grandchild!

Vivian was born last month, and she and mom are doing great. God is so good!!! 

May He bless and protect you and your families!

LEGISLATION HIGHLIGHTS

SUPPORTING TITLE IX

You may have heard that civil rights offices in both the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services have found that the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) and the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) are both in violation of Title IX’s prohibition on sex discrimination because they are allowing boys to play in girls sports and occupy girls facilities.

If the state agencies do not reverse course, Minnesota stands to lose millions of dollars in federal education funding.

To date, 280 school board members in 113 districts across Minnesota are calling for MDE and MSHSL to do the right thing for students and public school funding and comply with Title IX. I am proud to see a number of school board members in our legislative district among those who have signed this letter. Click here to check which school board members have signed on in support.

MINNESOTA SECRETARY OF STATE SUED FOR FAILING TO PROVIDE VOTER ACCESS LIST

The federal Department of Justice recently filed a lawsuit against Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon for his refusal to provide access to Minnesota’s voter registration list. Learn more about that here.

The DOJ sent two separate letters to Simon’s office seeking Minnesota’s voter rolls to determine if the state is complying with federal voter registration list maintenance law that requires the removal of people who have died or are not allowed to vote in our state.

NEW VOTING CHANGES?

You’ll recall from my last update that Secretary Simon is also attempting to go around the legislature to usher in several new voting-related provisions. Some of the changes relate to vouching for unregistered voters and felon voting.

An elections meeting was held on October 10, and I shared my thoughts. I also signed onto a letter outlining our concerns, which you can read below.

You can also share your thoughts. You have until October 30th at 4:30 pm to make comments after reviewing the documentation on the this website. Then there will be a 5-day rebuttal period. Please make your voices heard!

THE DATA SAYS – MORE LOCAL INPUT NEEDED 

Not long ago, the City of Cannon Falls annexed more than 240 acres of land in Randolph Township in Goodhue County. The purpose: to allow a private developer to build a data center.

Data center projects seem to be exploding all over the state, and this is the first one to be planned in our own backyard. Another 400+ acre data center near Pine Island has also been proposed.

Is this good or bad news? I have heard pros and cons from constituents on both sides of this issue. I am not against data centers, but I am also concerned at the speed these data centers are rushing through this process without much citizen input or consideration of long-term issues.

These current data center projects are past any legislation or input that I can propose at a state level. Very important decisions are being made, legal contracts are being signed and the fate of these centers being built are all happening at a local township and city government level.

These are massive projects. If you own a business or property near a proposed project, farm in the area or have long-term roots here, then it’s important to realize that the future benefits or consequences should be questioned, studied and understood now.

City Administrators and city engineers are hired to be working towards the will and best interest of the people in the area. Locally elected officials – elected by you - need to hear directly from their constituents to assure they are voting in a way that reflects the community’s best interests.

I personally met with Cannon Falls City Administrator Jon Radermacher and with a group of concerned citizens. Following are among the items and questions brought to my attention.

All negotiations and contracts to build the 240-acre facility are currently happening with a land developing company called Tract. However, Tract is not the end-user, and it will sell to another company. To be clear, the city does not know who the final owner of this property will be.

Will your electricity rates increase? Data centers use an enormous amount of electricity. An article from Bloomberg dated 9.29.2025 stated, “electricity costs as much as 267% more than it did five years ago in areas near data centers.”

Will your property values increase or decrease?

Water is used to cool data centers. I was reassured by Radermacher that Cannon Falls has the water capacity to provide the approximate 50 million gallons predicted to be needed yearly. Some wondered about any chemicals being used that could pollute the groundwater or complicate the wastewater processing.

Is there a tax benefit to the city?

Will a data center increase jobs and add to our local economy? During the building stages, many jobs will be needed to build a 240-acre data center. But what about long-term jobs?

Statewide, I am concerned that Governor Walz signed a 2040 Carbon Free Energy bill into law, mandating the elimination of reliable and affordable energy sources such as coal. These data center projects require massive amounts of power which will put large burdens on our energy grid and potentially increase risks for rolling blackouts during peak energy needs.

Data center construction talk is only going to increase in this state. I will continue to seek legislative ways to support economic growth while protecting local concerns, energy, and the environment.

As for the project in our area, there is excitement and nervousness among residents. The best advice I can give is to not assume anything, but to ask questions and occupy a seat at the table before all decisions have been made. Connect with your locally elected officials, share your thoughts, and become informed. Mayors, city council members and city administrators will always come and go, but if this area is your home, then your input is needed now.

SOME GOOD NEWS!

They said it couldn’t be done, but there is now peace in the Middle East thanks to the leadership of President Trump.

After two years of death and destruction, it’s wonderful to see such positive strides happening.