LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Data center proposals are emerging in Michigan, with residents and local governments pushing back with objections and moratoriums. That’s why the Michigan Chamber of Commerce (MI Chamber) is partnering with other organizations to ensure communities and municipal leaders are informed before developments move forward.
Community concerns.
Michigan for Responsible Data Centers is the new coalition aimed at helping residents sort out how a development would impact their community. The state continues to see growing interest in companies setting up their digital infrastructure in Michigan. Those facilities include servers and networking systems, along with storage and cooling systems to keep the digital highway running. However, data center projects bring with it concerns about energy and water use.
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MI Chamber President and CEO Jim Holcomb said computing capacity is just as important as “quality roads or a reliable electric grid.” He said, “When done right, data centers can strengthen our infrastructure, support innovation and help position Michigan as a destination for advanced industries. By pairing smart investment with responsible, transparent planning and community engagement, we can lead in the digital economy while creating opportunity for decades to come.”
Pressing pause.
Some say a pause on data center projects is needed. Tom Leonard, a GOP candidate running for governor, supports a data center moratorium. The petition calls for the Michigan Legislature “to immediately enact a one-year moratorium on the approval of new data center construction permits throughout the state and immediately repeal all legislation that gives corporate welfare subsidies to data centers.”
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who spent much of her second term giving taxpayer funds to now defunct megasite projects in Big Rapids, Marshall, Genesee County, threw her support behind data center construction since “technology is getting smarter.”
She told WNEM last month, “[Data centers] will get built. So, as I think about that proposition, I ask the question, ‘how do we make sure they’re built right?’ In a way that protects our water, protects our power grid and ensures that the people who build them get paid a living wage? And so I’d rather see us set a high standard here in Michigan. It does make sense for Michigan to be on the front end, that we set the model for how they’re built so that we don’t see a race at the bottom, but we see the benefits of it right here in Michigan.”
A current list of data center proposals can be found here.
