‘Community Benefits’ from a Hyperscale Data Center are a Mighty Tall Order

Residents in Saline, Michigan are rallying against a $7 billion Stargate data center planned in the area, citing concerns over increased electricity rates and potential impacts on the water supply. The data center is being fast-tracked by the local utility DTE Energy. This issue has become bipartisan, with the President and a Senator calling for moratoriums on new AI data center construction across the country as grassroots resistance grows over the impacts of the data center boom.