We are calling on state and local leaders to agree to a temporary moratorium on all large-scale data center approvals until Michigan has a comprehensive state plan that ensures these projects will not harm our environment, our communities, or Michigan ratepayers.
What we need to know
The enactment of tax breaks for new data center projects by the Michigan legislature in 2024 has led to a considerable uptick in proposals for these facilities statewide. It is imperative that our lawmakers act now so Michigan can lead the way on data center regulation and safeguard our environment and our resources from corporate interests.
Data centers must not drive new fossil-fuel generation, strain water supplies, or shift infrastructure costs onto Michigan households and communities. In order to ensure these protections, Michigan lawmakers should be asking important questions like:
- How much energy and water will a proposed data center use?
- How will data center companies fund grid upgrades?
- Will new infrastructure be powered by renewable energy?
- How quickly will data center companies meet Michigan’s clean energy standards?
What we’re asking for
Without answers to the questions above, Michiganders are not afforded the transparency and safeguards they deserve nor the power to weigh in on these huge proposals in their communities.
Here are just a few of the requirements we would like to see to remedy that imbalance:
- Data center companies must disclose all energy and water impacts.
- The full cost of grid upgrades must fall upon the data center, not ratepayers.
- Companies must disclose energy and water impacts as well as proposed conservation practices.
- All new grid infrastructure must be powered by renewable energy.
What we’re fighting
Data centers are large windowless warehouses that store large servers, hardware, networking equipment, and other computing technologies. These facilities can range in size from smaller operations that are localized to meet specific needs to much larger ones that run cloud computing for industries such as Meta, Amazon, and Google. The latter type of data center can require massive amounts of water and power to operate, posing a serious threat to the environment and public health.
The Saline project alone, approved at the end of 2025, will use more energy than a million homes. A single data center could also use more water than an entire city when offsite water withdrawals are factored in.
Sign the Petition!
We cannot allow these data center projects to move faster than our regulations and public accountability. Call on Michigan lawmakers to effectively regulate new data center development by adding your name to the petition. We must act now to put a stop to back-room deals and protect our communities, our environment, and ratepayers.
Tell lawmakers to protect our air, water, land and climate and pause data center approvals until real safeguards are put in place!
