A criminal investigation now centers on a Google data center project.
Police in Finland have launched a criminal probe into suspected environmental violations at a proposed Google data center site in Muhos, in the north of the country.
According to the authorities, Tuike Finland, a Google subsidiary, cut down and drained roughly 815 acres (330 hectares) of forest before finishing the environmental impact assessment that the project requires. Campaigners put the number of felled trees at around 250,000, though this is their own estimate and not an official count.
The inquiry also covers drainage, water management, and the possible environmental harm that resulted.
Earlier in October, Finland's environmental regulator ordered the company to stop any preparatory work that significantly changes the surroundings at Muhos and at a second planned site in Kajaani.
An environmental impact assessment studies the probable effects of a project before key decisions are made. It helps to spot risks, weigh alternatives, and set out measures to avoid or limit damage. Removing vegetation and altering drainage before that process is finished can change wildlife habitat and the way water flows across the land.
Google's country manager for Finland has apologized for the clearing, explaining that the company acted on its understanding of the law at the time. Google has also promised to cooperate with the investigation.
The case concerns suspected breaches only, and a criminal investigation does not establish guilt.
Finland's cool climate, available land, and power infrastructure have drawn investment in data centers. However, the clearing has sharpened the debate over how such projects should be evaluated and what local communities gain from them.
The investigation will look at whether the preparations at Muhos overstepped environmental protections that should have applied before the landscape was altered.