Updates

  • In a letter to Ypsilanti Township and University of Michigan Leadership, U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Ann Arbor) expressed opposition to a proposed computing center under development as a partnership between U-M and Los Alamos National Laboratory. In a separate letter, Dingell requested the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy conduct an environmental review of the proposed project site, arguing that the development “should not move forward without a clear understanding of the site’s environmental history, remaining contamination, applicable restrictions, and the protections necessary to safeguard public health and the surrounding community.”
  • After the dust settled at Mason’s data center town hall discussion, Lansing State Journal’s Ken Palmer writes that city officials and data center opponents both saw some good from the event, though their reasons were vastly different. While Mayor Russell Whipple said it was a success in the sense that it allowed city officials to answer questions and exchange differences, Paula Caltrider, who founded No Data Centers in Mason, said the town hall highlighted the disconnect between city council and the city manager.
  • During the same event, Whipple shared that he is a member of a group looking to rewrite the city’s zoning ordinances to include stricter guidelines on data centers than what was contained in a now-repealed zoning change, WKAR’s Andrew Roth reports.

Legislative Action

  • After the Michigan Economic Development Corporation declined to identify the companies seeking tax breaks under a 2024 law exempting data center equipment and construction from the state’s sales and use tax, more than 30 environmental groups called on state leaders to ensure data center developers cannot receive these incentives without the public knowing who is benefitting, and how much they are receiving. While the MEDC argued state law bars them from revealing the information, environmental groups sent a letter to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) and Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) asking them change the law and ensure transparency for Michigan residents.

News of Note

  • MLive’s Danielle James looks into a set of ads from Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and a political action committee backing U.S. Rep. John James (R-Shelby Township) as the two candidates for governor continue to contend with concerns around data center development.
  • William Lawrence, a political organizer seeking to unseat U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett (R-Charlotte) in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, released a multi-step plan aimed at regulating data center development and artificial intelligence.

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