Overview:
- Kamryn Hayes, a Pittsfield Township resident, says a lack of transparency around a DTE Energy data center deal brought out protesters Wednesday.
- "There's a million problems with this, no benefit to the community whatsoever, and they need to be honest with us about that," Hayes says.
- DTE is asking regulators to approve the contracts for the data center on an expedited basis by Friday, Dec. 5.
Opponents of a fast-tracked deal for DTE Energy to provide power for a $7 billion data center brought their concerns to the utility’s doorstep Wednesday.
Protesters marched around DTE headquarters in downtown Detroit hours ahead of a virtual Michigan Public Service Commission hearing on the planned Saline Township data center.
DTE is requesting that the MPSC approve the electric contracts for the 1.4 gigawatt data center, which is being developed for tech company Oracle and ChatGPT creator OpenAI.
DTE is asking regulators to approve the contracts, which contain redactions, on an ex parte basis by Friday, Dec. 5 — the date of the MPSC’s next regular meeting.
The Saline Township data center represents the largest electrical load request in Michigan’s history, said the Michigan Sierra Club’s Bryan Smigielski, who organized the protest.
“If it’s not secure enough to withstand a few months of critical scrutiny, it is not secure enough for us to start building hundreds of millions in new grid infrastructure for it,” he said of the data center project, speaking to protesters in Beacon Park, across First Street from the DTE building.
The “few months of critical scrutiny” are a reference to a contested case for the electric contracts. Critics of the DTE deal, like Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, are pushing for a contested case at Michigan’s utility regulator that allows for the submission of testimony, and for intervenors like Nessel to review unredacted documents.
The energy contracts contain a provision that allows the customer to terminate the deal if it is not approved by Friday, a DTE spokesperson told Planet Detroit last month.
Learn more about the MPSC with Planet Detroit’s Guide to the state regulator.
Data center protesters flag water, traffic, transparency
DTE maintains the Saline Township data center will not increase costs for its other customers. Kamryn Hayes, 27, who lives in nearby Pittsfield Township, isn’t buying it.
“Contrary to what DTE says, this is going to raise energy bills for every DTE customer,” she said, holding a sign that said: “DTE, do your job. No data centers ’til you fix the damn grid.”
Hayes, who graduated from Saline High School, said she’s concerned about “this giant data center being plopped in the middle of our farmland.”
One of her main objections is the traffic the development could bring to the small community, she told Planet Detroit.
“There will be more accidents. There will be more fatalities,” she said. “That’s going to be more of our tax dollars going to fix the roads while they’re getting tax cuts from the government.”
The Saline Township board voted against rezoning land for the data center, planned for 250 acres of farmland southwest of Ann Arbor. The municipality agreed to a settlement after it was sued by landowners and developer Related Digital.
Jarad Guerrero-Salinas, 41, of Ann Abor, said data centers threaten Michigan’s water resources.
“It’s our responsibility as the Great Lakes state to preserve our freshwater for ourselves and the nation,” said Guerrero-Salinas, who retired from the Air Force in April and moved back to Michigan.
He asked what the hurry is — and why the development is taking place on farmland, rather than on the sites of abandoned malls or factories.
“It’s not going to create anything tangibly better in the community,” he said.
Axel Thompson, 7, of Ferndale, held a loudspeaker and marched around DTE headquarters with his parents, Bryan and Chelsea.
“We are against the data center being put in and we’re against it being fast-tracked without holding hearings on it and finding out what it’s going to do,” Bryan told Planet Detroit.
Pittsfield Township’s Hayes said a lack of transparency around the DTE data center deal brought out protesters Monday.
“We barely have any public information on this, which is why we’re out here. We want to know what’s going on. We think we deserve that,” she said.
“There’s a million problems with this, no benefit to the community whatsoever, and they need to be honest with us about that.”
🗳️ What’s next? Tips for civic action
Why it matters
⚡ Opponents of a proposal to fast-track approval of an Oracle and Open AI data center in Saline Township say it could impact DTE Energy customers’ utility bills, which the utility denies. Data center power demands could make it more difficult for the state to meet its climate goals, depending on what generation sources are used.
Who’s making civic decisions
🏛️ The Michigan Public Service Commission, the state utility regulator, will consider DTE’s filing for the Saline data center and could allow for a contested case in which testimony can be submitted.
How to take civic action now
- 📅 Attend the public hearing on DTE Energy’s application, to be held virtually from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 3 on Microsoft Teams. Join via the Microsoft Teams link or by dialing 1-248-509-0316 and entering the conference ID 593258092# when prompted.
Those needing assistance to participate in the hearing may contact the MPSC’s executive secretary at 517-284-8090 in advance of the hearing. Follow the Sierra Club Michigan Chapter and Citizens Utility Board of Michigan for advocates’ viewpoints on MPSC activities.
- 📩 Email the MPSC at LARA-MPSC-commissioners@michigan.gov
- ✉️ Mail the Michigan Public Service Commission, PO Box 30221, Lansing, MI 48909
- 📣 Ask the commission if it will open DTE’s filing for the Saline Township data center as a contested case.
- 🗓️ What to watch for next The MPSC’s public hearing on DTE Energy’s application for the data center contracts will take place on Dec. 3, followed by a regular meeting of the commission in person and virtually at 1 p.m. Dec. 5.
Civic impact
🌍 Following and engaging with Michigan’s utility regulator is one way residents can influence the impact data centers have in the state.
⭐ Please let us know what action you took or if you have any additional questions. Please send a quick email to connect@planetdetroit.org.
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DTE wants power deal for $7 billion data center approved by Dec. 5: ‘False sense of urgency’
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