Environmental groups, Nessel make arguments in appeal of DTE Energy's Saline Township data center contracts

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and a coalition of environmental groups are challenging the Michigan Public Service Commission's (MPSC) conditional approval of DTE Energy's contracts to supply 1.4 gigawatts of power to the Stargate data center, a project by OpenAI, Oracle, and Related Digital in Saline Township. Attorney General Nessel filed a brief with the Michigan Court of Appeals, arguing that the MPSC granted "ex parte" approval without adequate public review or allowing interested parties to examine the contracts and provide testimony.

Nessel's brief contends that DTE Energy's application for fast-tracked approval omitted key investment costs, lacked necessary modeling, and presented heavily redacted contracts, preventing proper scrutiny of potential cost increases for Michiganders. She seeks to invalidate the approval and have the matter returned to the MPSC as a contested case. Similarly, Earthjustice, the Sierra Club, Michigan Environmental Council, and the Natural Resources Defense Council filed a separate brief, stating the secretive approval process violated the public's right to evaluate the deal's details and impacts, exposing customers to substantial upfront costs.

The MPSC, through public information officer Matt Helms, maintains that Nessel's arguments were previously reviewed and rejected by the commission, asserting that the conditional approval is consistent with legal precedent and includes strong consumer protections, projected to save DTE customers $300 million annually. DTE Energy, represented by Director of Corporate Communications Jill Wilmot, also defends its process, stating confidence that its contracts with Oracle offer excellent customer protections and that the regulatory process was followed appropriately.