Flint City Council advances resolution for one-year data center moratorium
Flint City Council is advancing a one-year moratorium on data center development to allow time for planning and protections, prompted by resident concerns. This move aligns with similar actions by other Michigan municipalities and state lawmakers who are also proposing statewide restrictions. The council's decision comes amidst reports of a development group eyeing a site in Flint for a potential data center.
The Flint City Council is moving forward with a resolution to enact a one-year moratorium on data center development within the city. Introduced by Council President Candice Mushatt, the measure aims to provide officials time to establish protections against potential environmental hazards and resource strain, reflecting a growing national trend among municipalities.
The resolution passed the Government Operations committee in a 5-1 vote, with Councilman Dennis Pfeiffer dissenting due to concerns about a blanket ban without specific project proposals. This action follows similar moratoriums in other Michigan towns, including Grand Blanc Township, Sterling Heights, Pontiac, Taylor, Northville, Gibraltar, and Van Buren Township. These local initiatives were partly spurred by the approval of a data center project in Saline Township, backed by OpenAI and Oracle, a development praised by Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer for its economic benefits.
Simultaneously, State Senator Jim Runestad R-White Lake has introduced a series of bills (SB 1018, 1019, 1020) in the Michigan Senate, seeking a temporary statewide halt on data center development. His legislation aims to allow for thorough study of the projects' potential impacts on energy rates, the environment, and communities. The Flint council's decision also coincides with reports that Hillwood-Sterling, a development group, is in talks with Ashley Capital to acquire the former Buick City site in Flint for a potential data center.
Environmental justice activist Nayyirah Shariff, a Flint resident, has been organizing community efforts against data center expansion. She attributes the increased interest in Michigan to 2024 state sales tax exemptions granted to data center developers and emphasizes the need for broader state and federal regulation beyond local moratoriums to prevent what she calls 'predatory development'.