Bills would target water use, utility costs tied to Michigan data center boom

Trio of Michigan Senate Democrats introduce policy to address data center water usage

Michigan Environmental Jusitce Coalition Policy Director Andrea Pierce rallies against data centers ahead of a meeting of the Michigan Public Service Commission. Oct. 27, 2025 | Photo by Kyle Davidson/Michigan AdvanceFollowing a groundswell of opposition to data center projects throughout the state, a trio of Democratic lawmakers in the Michigan Senate have put forth policy to address concerns of the facilities’ water and energy usage.  Data cen…

Bills would target water use, utility costs tied to Michigan data center boom

LANSING, MI – New state legislation unveiled this week would take a crack at regulating water usage, transparency standards and infrastructure costs in large-scale data center developments amid a hardening public opposition against the facilities across the state.

Communities are rising up against data centers — and winning

If there's one thing Republicans and Democrats came together on in 2025 - at least at the local level - it was to stop big, energy-hungry data center projects. For communities sick of rising electricity bills and pollution from power plants, data centers have become an obvious target. Fights against new data centers surged this year as grassroots groups, voters, and local lawmakers demanded more accountability from developers. Already, they've m…

Live recap: Data centers and local power in Michigan

Over the past year, Michigan has seen a surge of interest from major tech companies looking to build large-scale data centers across the state. These facilities can span hundreds of acres, consume as much electricity as a large city, and use millions of gallons of water each day for cooling. Proposals have emerged in Washtenaw County, Livingston County, and elsewhere — often in rural townships that have never dealt with development on this scale…