Environmental groups call for Detroit data center moratorium as city develops ordinance
Environmental and community groups in Detroit are calling for a moratorium on data center development, urging Mayor Mary Sheffield to adopt a recommendation made by the City Council. The Detroit City Planning Commission is actively developing a data center ordinance to regulate these facilities, amidst concerns about energy, water usage, and community impact. The Mayor's administration has reportedly paused new data center permitting while the ordinance is under consideration.
Environmental and community groups, including the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center and the Sierra Club Michigan Chapter, are urging Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield to enact a two-year data center moratorium. This call follows a recommendation from the Detroit City Council in March, which Mayor Sheffield has not formally adopted, though her administration has reportedly "effectively paused" new data center permitting.
Amidst these calls, the Detroit City Planning Commission is developing recommendations for a comprehensive data center ordinance, with City Council Member Scott Benson aiming for regulations to be in place by year-end. The urgency stems from concerns over the environmental and financial impacts of hyperscale data centers, including their significant energy and water demands. Residents have voiced opposition through surveys, and a proposed data center on Shoemaker Street was recently dropped.
Controversy also surrounds a legislative report prepared for the City Council by its Legislative Policy Division (LPD), which environmental groups criticize for relying on industry-friendly sources and alleged plagiarism from reports by organizations like the Citizens Research Council of Michigan. The LPD defends its report as a compilation using available expertise, while the CRC notes that the LPD omitted counterbalancing caveats from its findings.
Separately, major tech companies like Google, Oracle, and OpenAI are involved in data center projects in Michigan, with Google having considered the Packard Plant site in Detroit before proposing a development in Van Buren Township. DTE Energy, a participant in city working groups, has indicated Detroit's infrastructure lacks the high-power transmission lines needed for hyperscale facilities and plans to seek approval for new natural gas plants. The Detroit City Council also approved a resolution opposing unmitigated use of Detroit water resources for data center cooling.