Ypsilanti Community Utilities Authority

Data center projects in Michigan face opposition due to environmental and water supply concerns, with Governor Gretchen Whitmer supporting tech companies despite local resistance. The University of Michigan and Los Alamos National Laboratory proposed a data center project that was rejected by a local water company, leading to a site change. Conflicts highlight tensions between corporate interests, community values, and environmental justice.

Michigan data center developments include a proposed facility moving forward in Mason, a denied 26-megawatt project in Allen Park, and a $16 billion data center groundbreaking in Saline Township led by Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Legislative efforts to impose a one-year moratorium on data centers were introduced by State Sen. Jim Runestad but opposed by Whitmer, who emphasized environmental and energy accountability. Google is funding a water management initiative in Wayne County, and environmental concerns over wastewater capacity are highlighted by a moratorium in Ypsilanti.