One of the largest data center projects in the country is happening in Michigan, in the small farming community of Saline Township. Southwest of Ann Arbor, Saline Township is home to roughly 2,300 people.

Many of those residents did not want a data center. Their board voted against it, and their neighbors packed the meeting hall. Then the lawsuit came.

The companies are Oracle and OpenAI. Together, they are worth more than a trillion dollars. The township said it could not justify the fight, so it settled, and construction began.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer calls it the largest single investment in Michigan history.

It will use more electricity than an average nuclear reactor produces.

State lawmaker Morgan Foreman represents the district where it is being built. She says her constituents were not partners in this project; they were bystanders to it. She joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro to discuss how a small community of farmers and small-business owners ended up hosting one of the most consequential pieces of AI infrastructure in the country.

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.

Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Support the podcasts you love.

One-of-a-kind podcasts from WDET bring you engaging conversations, news you need to know and stories you love to hear. Keep the conversations coming. Please make a gift today.

Give now »

More stories from The Metro

The Metro: Why the push to recall Dave Woodward is about more than one person

Sam Corey

Read More »

The Metro: The meeting that launched a recall campaign, and what Dave Woodward says now

Robyn Vincent

Read More »

The Metro: Running near empty. How gas prices are hurting local businesses

Robyn Vincent

Read More »

The post The Metro: The people of Saline vs. Big Tech appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson is rolling out a plan to impose strict new safeguards on data centers in Michigan to address concerns over rising energy costs, environmental impacts, and transparency.  As artificial intelligence increases the demand for massive, energy-devouring facilities, many residents across the state are pushing back, saying the projects will harm communities […]

The post Benson takes on data center boom with stricter safeguards appeared first on Detroit Metro Times.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is urging state utility regulators to reconsider their approval of special power contracts for a massive data center planned in Washtenaw County, warning the fast-tracked decision could leave electric customers exposed to higher costs.

The post Nessel challenges fast-tracked DTE data center deal, citing risks to ratepayers and lack of public scrutiny appeared first on Detroit Metro Times.

State regulators are facing increasing pressure to slow down a $7 billion, 2.2-million-square-foot data center proposed for rural Saline Township, where residents and environmental groups warn the project would destroy wetlands, strain Michigan’s energy grid, and permanently reshape a farming community that opposes the development.

The post Residents raise alarms over environmental risks tied to massive data center in Saline Township appeared first on Detroit Metro Times.