Michiganders now have a new tool they can use to track and report data center developments in their community.
During an interview with MS Now, environmental activist Erin Brockovich said she created the map after concerned community members reached out to her about developments happening without their knowledge.
"I'm one of those people that like to see the bigger picture," she said. "So, I decided to create a map where people could self-report, who were living in and around those facilities, what was going on in their own backyard."
She said she was shocked to discover that people faced the same issues in 49 states, with lack of transparency being one of the most significant concerns.
"At a local level, non-disclosures, they weren't included, there wasn't a seat at the table, and how did this happen?" Brockovich said.
She said people across the nation are concerned about electric costs, water usage, loss of land and wildlife and the noise the data centers emit.
Those who live next to existing data centers report rising electricity bills and loud noise, Brockovich said.
Brockovich gained national attention in 1993 when she uncovered widespread groundwater contamination in Hinkley, California, caused by Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) using hexavalent chromium in their operations. She has remained active in environmental spaces.
In Dowagiac, Michigan, residents are suing a hyperscale data center in their community over "excessive noise."
The complaint asks the case be considered a class action lawsuit. Residents allege the noise can be heard inside their homes with closed windows and while the television is on.
They say the noise is causing them health problems like headaches and lowers their property values.
Plaintiffs also allege the loud noise is either intentional and/or negligence by Alliance Cloud Services, a subsidiary of Hyperscale Data Inc., the company that operates the data center.
The hyperscale data center being bult on old farmland in Saline Township, Michigan, is reported on Brockovitch's map as "under construction."
On June 1, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, executives from Oracle and Related Digital and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer visited the construction site.
Brockovich's map includes operational data centers, centers under construction, proposed centers, and community reports.
People in Mid-Michigan have submitted emails and photos to Brockovich according to the map.
People can report what's happening in their community through a form located at the bottom of the website.