What we’re reading: Southfield council expected to vote on data center with closed-loop water system

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🔌 Southfield council to vote on 12-acre data center proposal Monday Southfield City Council reviewed plans for a 12-acre data center site on Inkster Road. Developer Metrobloks emphasizes the project’s smaller scale — 100 megawatts versus typical 1,000-megawatt facilities — and a closed-loop water system minimizing utility impact. Council President Pro Tem Coretta Houge expressed concerns about the visibily on the facility’s energy and water usage for residents. The Planning Commission approved the plan, but final council approval is pending at the Dec. 15 meeting. 📌 Source: Southfield Sun

💰 DTE-backed group gave $1.3M to Whitmer, Hall funds Michigan Energy First, backed by DTE Energy, donated $550,000 to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s nonprofit and $750,000 to House Speaker Matt Hall’s connected account in 2024. The disclosures emerged as the Michigan Public Service Commission — with Whitmer appointees — weighs DTE’s massive Saline Township data center plans and recently approved a 5% rate increase. Attorney General Dana Nessel criticized utilities’ political spending, while DTE maintains contributions are legal and deny expecting favors. 📌 Source: The Detroit News

🏠 HUD pulls $3.9 billion aid plan hours before federal court hearing The Trump administration withdrew its controversial plan to redirect $3.9 billion in federal homelessness aid away from Housing First programs toward time-limited, work-focused initiatives. HUD cited “technical” issues but reaffirmed its policy direction. The withdrawal came before a federal hearing on two lawsuits challenging the changes, which critics said could displace 170,000 people. The move creates uncertainty for thousands of homeless aid programs awaiting funding rules. 📌 Source: The New York Times

🧊 Rural Michiganders faces thousands in utility rate hikes after Trump rejects storm relief President Donald Trump denied $90 million in federal disaster aid to two Michigan electric cooperatives after a March ice storm, despite damage exceeding federal thresholds fivefold. The unprecedented decision — excluding utility infrastructure while approving other categories — could cost 160,000 households up to $4,500 each through rate increases. FEMA said the aid wasn’t “warranted.” Republican lawmakers from the region appealed the denial. 📌 Source: Politico

⚒️ Proposed Osceola County mine would fuel potassium-ion batteries for data centers Michigan Potash & Salt Co. partnered with Austin-based Group1 Inc. to develop potassium-ion batteries for AI data centers using potash from a proposed Osceola County mine that would be the nation’s largest. The facility would extract 800,000 tons of potash annually through solution mining, requiring millions of gallons of water pumped underground to dissolve minerals. Proponents say the batteries offer a safer, domestic alternative to lithium-ion technology for powering data centers’ massive energy demands. 📌 Source: Detroit Free Press

🛢️ West Michigan landfills sue Wolverine, 3M over PFAS contamination costs Two West Michigan landfills sued Wolverine Worldwide and 3M, seeking reimbursement for PFAS contamination costs from tannery sludge disposal. Central Sanitary Landfill and Ottawa County Farms Landfill allege they spent years managing contamination from Wolverine’s Scotchgard-laden waste, including installing monitoring wells and building a deep injection well. The lawsuit follows federal designation of PFOS and PFOA as hazardous substances. Wolverine denies responsibility, citing multiple contamination sources at the decades-old facilities. 📌 Source: MLive