New Developments

  • Augusta Township in Washtenaw County has begun working to establish new proposed ordinance focused on “high resource demand facilities” including, data centers, battery storage facilities for energy, substations and switchyards, MLive’s Jennifer Eberbach reports.
  • U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) introduced legislation Thursday to bar large scale AI data centers from setting up shop or operating on lands owned or managed by the federal government, including military bases. According to Tlaib’s office, the bill requires any qualifying data center located on federal land to be removed and the site must be remediated.

News of Note

  • Rep. Jennifer Wortz (R-Quincy), one of the sponsors of a bipartisan bill package to institute a statewide moratorium on data center development until April 1, 2027, issued a statement to her constituents answering a commonly asked question: Can a data center or green energy project take my land through eminent domain?
    “The answer is NO,” Wortz wrote, noting that this authority solely belongs to governments and some entities authorized by state law. She encouraged residents to take an active role in their city’s zoning process, and landowners to consult with an attorney representing their interests in any proposed legal agreement.
  • State Rep. Steve Carra (R-Three Rivers), a vocal data center opponent whose House Oversight subcommittee has probed the local impacts of these facilities, has been on the receiving end of attack ads funded by organizations tied to one of the state’s largest energy utilities. The Detroit News’ Craig Mauger reports that two groups tied to Consumers Energy are slated to spend $274,000 on TV ads, noting that Michigan’s energy utilities could see increased revenue from the massive amounts of energy required to power these facilities.
  • The University of Michigan’s Michigan Futures Initiative is moving forward on a pilot project examining ways to develop ethical and sustainable AI and data centers, The Michigan Daily’s Micayla Horwitz reports, noting that project’s team hopes to announce its findings come fall.
  • New Channel 3’s Abigail Taylor delves into the Fabius Township Board of Trustees call for lawmakers in Lansing to pass legislation allowing communities to “opt-out” of hosting data centers and industrial-scale solar energy farms.