Rallies held across Michigan to oppose data center development

Rallies were held across six Michigan cities, including Lansing, Detroit, and Grand Rapids, to protest the proliferation of data centers. Opponents voiced concerns about rising energy costs, environmental degradation, including water and soil contamination, and noise pollution from hyperscale facilities. Paula Cole Reiner, a Mason resident, became involved in the opposition due to a proposed data center near her home, emphasizing the negative impacts on neighborhoods. Jerry Norris of "The Flag" celebrated the recent withdrawal of the Deep Green Data Center project in Lansing as a victory, but expressed concern that developers might still seek to build on private land without public oversight. He advocated for regulations to prevent this. Lansing Mayor Andy Schor, however, released a letter supporting data center development, stating it's "the future" and declining them would only send progress elsewhere, denying Lansing the benefits. Critics like Reiner countered that data centers should be located in government-owned acreage with dedicated infrastructure, away from residential areas and existing electricity and water supplies.