Three bills were introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives today, each with the purpose of delaying new data center proposals.
Rep. Dylan Wegela (D-Garden City) introduced one of the bills, which calls for a moratorium on approvals by the Michigan public service commission of any new enterprise data centers.
Wegela told WKAR News that he doesn’t have high hopes for the three-bill package to pass, but that he’s going to push for it anyway.
“The big groups, the DTEs, the big tech of the world, I think it's going to make it really difficult for these to move,” he said. “But it's worth fighting for and making sure that people know at least what representatives are fighting for their interest in this business.”
Wegela is joined by representatives Erin Byrnes (D-Dearborn), James DeSana (R-Carleton), Morgan Foreman (D-Pittsfield Twp.), Joseph Fox (R-Fremont), Reggie Miller (D-Belleville), Brad Paquette (R-Niles), Josh Schriver (R-Oxford), Rachelle Smit (R-Shelbyville) and Jennifer Wortz (R-Quincy) in co-sponsoring the package.
“I am not anti-data center,” Wortz said. “But I have serious concerns about how and where these go.”
Wortz said locations like Benton Harbor, Saginaw and Flint, which have brownfields available, should be considered instead of rural farm ground.
“I think rural America has really had enough of our farm ground in our rural communities being forced to bear the burden of technology.”
The bills would need to pass the House and the Senate, as well as be signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, to become law.
In the past, Whitmer has said she would not support a statewide moratorium on data centers.
“The governor has straight up been supportive of these projects coming here,”Wegela said.
If the package manages to become law, it would prevent new data centers from being approved or operated until April 1, 2027.
