Overview:
- State and city leaders have the opportunity to ensure progress doesn’t come at the expense of residents, says Kathleen Slonager.
- Public officials need to take precautions to avoid negative public health impacts from data centers, she says.
- "These measures are affordable compared to the human and economic costs of unmanaged pollution."
If you manage asthma or allergies in Detroit, you don’t need a white paper to understand environmental stress. You feel it when construction dust hangs in the air, when diesel engines rumble and when nighttime noise steals your sleep.
As data centers developers seek sites in metro Detroit, we have an opportunity to build differently: protecting health while inviting investment.
Data centers run around the clock. They test diesel backup systems, pull significant electrical load and, depending on design, may use substantial cooling water. None of that is inherently bad, but the “where,” “how,” and “with what safeguards” matter.
In neighborhoods already carrying high health burdens, even small, steady irritants can compound into more ER visits and more missed school days due to asthma attacks.
State and city leaders have the opportunity to ensure progress doesn’t come at the expense of residents:
• Independent health impact assessments before permits. The assessments should cover air emissions (including generator testing), construction/operational noise, traffic and dust, and water use. Share the results in plain language.
• 24/7 clean energy procurement plans tied to approvals — not just annual averages — with transparent reporting.
• Closed‑loop or nonpotable water cooling where feasible, plus clear protections so households aren’t subsidizing corporate water demand.
• Strict diesel testing limits and best‑available controls; avoid testing during school hours and inversion‑prone weather.
• Fence‑line and neighborhood monitors with public dashboards; equip schools and clinics to respond to spikes.
• A responsive complaint system that documents issues and triggers timely fixes.
These measures are affordable compared to the human and economic costs of unmanaged pollution.
They’re also good business. Companies that build with health in mind face fewer delays, fewer conflicts and a stronger social license to operate.
We don’t need perfect knowledge to act. The uncertainty around cumulative health impacts should sharpen — not dull — our resolve. Detroit can define what “responsible data center” means in a city that knows resilience and demands respect.
Let’s lead with clean air, safe water, and community trust. If we do, families managing asthma and allergies won’t have to pay the price of innovation — they’ll share its benefits.
Planet Detroit’s Voices column includes opinion pieces from our community of partners and readers. These pieces express the voices of the authors and not necessarily those of the publication.
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