After Data Center Withdrawal in Lansing, Activists Balance Celebration with Vigilance

Danny Raymond, a Lansing resident, expressed relief when the British tech company Deep Greep withdrew its 32-megawatt data center proposal for downtown Lansing just hours before a decisive April vote. This withdrawal came after significant community opposition, with Raymond noting a general unhappiness among residents despite the mayor and city council's initial support for the project, citing economic benefits. Critics, including Raymond, viewed the proposal as prioritizing industry over local residents, drawing parallels to the automotive plant era. The withdrawal, however, has not ended activist efforts. Last Saturday, several hundred people protested against data centers across six Michigan cities, including Lansing, Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, Detroit, and Houghton. In Lansing, activists gathered to discuss future strategies. Soph Zuber, a Michigan State University student and Spartan Sunrise activist, confirmed that while celebrating the recent win, activists remain wary of future proposals and plan to push the Lansing City Council for a data center moratorium, collaborating with other affected communities statewide. Jerry Norris, founder of The Fledge and a rally organizer, suggested the Lansing data center proposal was driven by competing corporate interests influencing clean energy policy. He criticized the process, alleging that entities like the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Lansing Board of Water and Light allowed a marketing firm, Bellwether PR, to steer civic decision-making. Norris also highlighted concerns about a proposed 16-megawatt fuel cell power plant for the data center, advocating for independent health and environmental impact studies. The broader context includes state legislation passed last year, exempting large data centers investing over $250 million and creating 30 jobs from a 6% sales and use tax. This incentive has led to a "flood" of hyperscale data center proposals across Michigan. Paula Caltrider, an activist from Mason, voiced concerns about these large facilities, up to 300 acres, consuming farmland and impacting air, water, and soil, leveraging Michigan's natural resources like the Great Lakes and aquifers. The future of the Lansing parking lot site, originally intended for the data center, is now open for new proposals. Lansing Mayor Andy Schor has invited opponents to suggest community-oriented developments, including housing. However, Norris views this challenge as insincere and a deflection, emphasizing the need for the site to become a community gathering point, potentially a park or mixed-use development, rather than an industrial facility that requires a natural gas power plant.