1.1 A bill for an act
1.2 relating to environment; requiring study of environmental impacts of artificial
1.3 intelligence; requiring a report; appropriating money.
1.4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
1.5 Section 1. STUDY ON ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS TO MINNESOTA OF
1.6 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.
1.7 (a) By January 1, 2027, the commissioner of the Pollution Control Agency must submit
1.8 a report on the environmental impacts of artificial intelligence to the chairs and ranking
1.9 minority members of the legislative committees with jurisdiction over environment policy
1.10 and energy policy. The report must include:
1.11 (1) an assessment of the energy consumption and pollution associated with the full
1.12 lifecycle of artificial intelligence models, including the design, development, deployment,
1.13 and use of those models;
1.14 (2) an assessment of the energy consumption and pollution associated with the full
1.15 lifecycle of artificial intelligence hardware, including the extraction of raw materials,
1.16 manufacturing, and electronic waste associated with that hardware;
1.17 (3) an assessment of the energy and water consumption for cooling the data centers used
1.18 in the design, development, deployment, and use of artificial intelligence models;
1.19 (4) an assessment of how choices made during the design, development, deployment,
1.20 and use of artificial intelligence models, including the efficiency of the artificial intelligence
1.21 models used; the location, power source, and design of data centers used; and the type of
1.22 hardware used, affect the resulting environmental impacts;
2.1 (5) identification of potential environmental impacts that could be acute at local scales,
2.2 which may include added power loads that create grid stress, water withdrawals that create
2.3 water stress, or local noise impacts;
2.4 (6) identification of the positive environmental impacts associated with applications of
2.5 artificial intelligence, which may include optimizing systems for energy efficiency,
2.6 developing renewable energy, advancing planetary systems research, enabling discovery
2.7 of new materials, and automatically monitoring environmental changes;
2.8 (7) identification of the negative environmental impacts associated with applications of
2.9 artificial intelligence, which may include rebound effects, behavioral impacts, and
2.10 accelerating high-pollution activities;
2.11 (8) identification of disparate impacts in the negative environmental impacts of artificial
2.12 intelligence;
2.13 (9) an estimate of the likely impact to Minnesota of the various factors identified in the
2.14 report under various artificial intelligence deployment scenarios; and
2.15 (10) any other environmental impacts determined to be relevant by the commissioner.
2.16 (b) In conducting the study required by this section, the commissioner must provide
2.17 opportunities for engagement with stakeholders, including those with knowledge or expertise
2.18 in subjects relevant to the study and report required by this section, and with interested
2.19 members of the general public.
2.20 Sec. 2. APPROPRIATION; STUDY ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS TO
2.21 MINNESOTA OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.
2.22 $....... in fiscal year 2026 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner of
2.23 the Pollution Control Agency to conduct the study and prepare the report required by section
2.24 1.
