The group’s 56-page report tracks 32 proposed or active data center projects across Michigan and claims opposition is growing rapidly, with more than 98 local moratoriums either enacted or under consideration.

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The report argues that concerns extend well beyond politics, focusing on water use, electricity demand, land development, local control and taxpayer subsidies. It describes projects ranging from OpenAI’s proposed “Project Stargate” near Saline to developments tied to Google, Microsoft, Meta and other technology companies.

The report highlights community members who are “rallying together to protect their water. To protect the health of their habitat, gardens, and farmland. And to protect their communities’ right to choose who and what they will become.”

Power-hungry neighbors

Many of the projects discussed in the report are enormous. Some are projected to consume millions of gallons of water daily and require electrical loads measured in hundreds of megawatts or even gigawatts – numbers that sound less like a warehouse and more like a small city.

That concern is also showing up in Lansing. Senate Democrats recently introduced legislation that would require large data centers to disclose energy use, meet certain labor standards, and help ensure utilities aren’t shifting costs onto residential ratepayers.

The great Michigan tug-of-war.

Supporters see data centers as a once-in-a-generation economic opportunity tied to AI, cloud computing and advanced technology. Opponents see something different: giant tax-subsidized buildings that consume vast amounts of water and electricity while creating relatively few permanent jobs.

As Michigan races to become an AI hub, the debate is becoming increasingly clear: everyone likes the future – until it’s proposed next door.