Michigan Gubernatorial Candidates Clash Over Data Centers as Google Project Canoli Advances in Van Buren Township
Google received final site plan approval for Project Canoli, a roughly 1-gigawatt hyperscale data center planned on nearly 300 acres in Van Buren Township. The project became a central issue in a Michigan gubernatorial debate, with Jocelyn Benson and John James arguing over data center moratoriums, public input, and alleged financial ties to the industry.
Google’s Project Canoli data center in Van Buren Township reached a major milestone when the township Planning Commission voted 5-1 to approve the final site plan. The proposed hyperscale facility would occupy nearly 300 acres near Hagerty Road and Interstate 94 and has a planned capacity of approximately 1 gigawatt, allowing construction to proceed at full speed.
The project was also a major point of conflict in the second debate between Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jocelyn Benson and Republican nominee John James. Benson argued that James had supported measures limiting local residents’ ability to weigh in on data center proposals and accused him of benefiting financially from the industry. James countered that Benson and her husband had profited from a separate land deal and questioned the credibility of her proposed data center moratorium. Both candidates presented competing plans for regulating or pausing future data center development as voters approached the November election.