Patrick Waters Disavows 701 Report Amid Data Center Scrutiny

Key Takeaways

• Oliver County State's Attorney Patrick Waters denied controlling the 701 Report, which was founded by his stepson and employee, Daniel Lamers.
• Questions about the publication’s address and access have intensified scrutiny around Applied Digital’s project and data center permitting in Oliver County.
• The dispute illustrates how unclear media affiliations can complicate community engagement and reputational risk for infrastructure developers and public officials.

Oliver County’s increasingly contentious debate over data center development has expanded beyond permits, land use and public infrastructure. It now includes questions about media transparency, professional conduct and the relationships surrounding a newly established publication.

At the center of the latest dispute is Patrick Waters, the Oliver County State's Attorney who advises the County Commission. Waters has denied exercising control over the 701 Report, a website founded by Daniel Lamers, his stepson and an employee of his private practice, Heartland Law Office. The website has published material about data center issues as Applied Digital works toward completing a major project in the county.

Questions emerged after an anonymous account calling itself the “Oliver Mercer Informer” emailed reporters about the 701 Report. The message asked why a publication described as independent appeared to use the address of Waters’ private law office. Waters said he had not known the website was using that address.

Initially, Waters strongly defended the publication. In an email circulated to reporters, he called the 701 Report a “legitimate news organization” and said he had no control over what it published or when it published. He identified Lamers as the site’s founder, editor and reporter.

His language toward the anonymous critic was far less measured. Waters characterized the person as a “sub-creature” and used several other insults while offering to discuss the matter with reporters or the North Dakota Attorney General's Office. Then the position shifted.

After Lamers allegedly called a reporter from a number identified as “The 701 Report” and directed insults and profanity at him, Waters distanced himself from the website. Lamers subsequently apologized and said he had mistaken the reporter for the anonymous email’s author.

“I didn't authorize this. This isn't me. I want nothing to do with the 701 Report,” Waters said afterward.

Waters confirmed that Lamers works at Heartland Law Office in marketing and client intake. He also said he encouraged Lamers to pursue the news-site idea and directed one of his clients, who was involved in a murder case, to speak with Lamers for an article. Those facts do not establish editorial control. They do, however, create connections that readers and local stakeholders could reasonably expect the publication to disclose.

Independence is not demonstrated simply by declaring a newsroom independent. It is supported by visible ownership information, conflict disclosures, editorial standards and a clear separation from officials or organizations covered by the publication. Who funds the operation? Who supplies access and leads? Those are routine questions, particularly when coverage intersects with a public official’s government responsibilities.

The stakes extend beyond one small website. JLL estimates that the global data center sector could expand at roughly 14% annually over the next five years, adding about 100 GW of capacity and generating up to $3 trillion in expenditures when GPUs and networking are included. Analysis Atlas cites a 2025 market value of approximately $514.26 billion and a projected $959.19 billion by 2031.

That scale is bringing data center policy into county courthouses, utility proceedings and community meetings. Operators such as Equinix, Digital Realty and AWS may dominate global industry discussions, but regional developments can generate equally intense local arguments over electricity, taxes, water, noise and land use.

Operational reporting matters too. Uptime Institute found that only 9% of reported outages in its Global Data Center Survey 2024 were serious or severe, while impactful cyber-related outages doubled compared with the prior four-year average. Specialized publications can add value by explaining such risks, along with standards including Uptime Institute’s Tier Classification System and ISO/IEC 27001.

But credibility is fragile. Waters is already facing a removal petition submitted to Attorney General Drew Wrigley’s office alleging misconduct, malfeasance, neglect of duty and gross incompetency. Those remain allegations, and the petition arose amid a highly charged political environment in which County Commissioner Dave Berger resigned earlier this year following bullying and harassment from data center opponents.

That context cuts both ways. Public officials can face unfair attacks, especially online. Yet responding aggressively to reasonable questions can deepen suspicion rather than resolve it. For Applied Digital and other infrastructure developers, the episode is a reminder that community relations depend partly on the conduct and transparency of surrounding institutions. Clear disclosures, calmer communication and documented boundaries would help Oliver County’s data center debate focus on the project’s actual costs, benefits and risks.