Where Michigan governor candidates stand on data centers, the environment

Bridge asked Michigan gubernatorial candidates about how they’d tackle the state’s most pressing environmental issues
Topics included data centers, clean energy, aging dams, climate change, conservation and the Great Lakes
The candidates responded directly to questions and concerns raised by readers through the Bridge Listens election-year survey

LANSING — Whoever becomes the next governor of Michigan this November will face no shortage of environmental challenges, from climate change to data centers and invasive species to renewable energy policy.

Two Democrats and two Republicans remain on the Aug. 4 primary and Bridge is revisiting an issue – the environment – readers identified as one of their top issues in Bridge Listens, our effort to identify Michigan’s top issues.

Candidates seeking to succeed Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a term-limited Democrat, are:

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat
US Rep. John James, a Republican
Businessman Perry Johnson, a Republican
Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson, a Democrat

Bridge asked each candidate the same six questions, pushing for them to explain how they’d try to implement their proposals.

Although Johnson did not respond to multiple requests for comment, he has since released an energy proposal outlined his views on energy, the environment and data centers.

Related:

His policies, when applicable, will be reflected alongside the answers other gubernatorial candidates gave when interviewed in May. Click here to read full, unedited responses by the candidates and their campaigns.

Or read on to find summaries of their responses.

Data Centers

The question: In 2024, Michigan lawmakers passed tax breaks that prompted a wave of data center proposals in Michigan. That, in turn, has sparked debate about whether the industry’s promised economic benefits are worth its impacts on land, water and the electrical grid.

How would you approach the data center industry? Would you change anything about state policies governing the industry?

Data centers have emerged as a top 2026 issue, and one that often blurs party lines.

Michigan passed laws in 2024 waiving the state’s 6% sales tax on equipment and construction of data centers, leading to a flood of new proposals — including The Barn, a $43 billion project in Saline Township from Oracle and Open AI.

All gubernatorial candidates who responded told Bridge they believe there should be more accountability for data centers. But positions vary on how aggressively to enforce those measures — and how much control local residents should have to stop data center developments.

There is bipartisan support for ensuring data centers limit their use of water or other resources, and all candidates said new data centers should not increase electricity rates for residents.

James said “any state incentive for a data center should be tied to measurable public benefit: real job creation, long-term capital investment, responsibility for infrastructure and transparency about water and energy use.”

Any public support would need to “come with enforceable benchmarks and full transparency for affected communities,” James added, a belief that Benson, a Democrat, also shared.

Johnson, in his energy plan, said he opposed use of “taxpayer-funded incentives and special rate deals” to entice data centers into Michigan. He’s also since said the state should issue a one-year moratorium on building new data centers.

In a July interview with Michigan Public, Johnson said that time should be used to develop a better understanding around the potential health impacts of data centers, how they impact energy costs and create guidelines for remediation.

For Democrats, Benson has faced scrutiny because her husband, real estate executive Ryan Friedrichs, works for Related Companies, a partner in the Saline Township data center.

In March, he announced he is moving to a different role in the company that does not involve any Michigan projects. Benson has vowed that no one from her family “is profiting from data centers.”

She has called for “public hearings to ensure projects do not go through without residents having the opportunity to share their concerns,” but did not call for locals to be able to ban the facilities entirely.

She wants union contracts in place for resulting jobs and for developers, ahead of construction, to prove a data center “will not abuse natural resources – from water to land.”

Swanson said data center operators should pay for infrastructure upgrades to accommodate the facilities.

He said he wants to require “a built-in escrow account funded by prospective corporations to protect against a project being abandoned after community planning and resources have been committed and spent.”

“We must also implement legislation requiring signed legal commitments of promise and limitations on tax credits/incentives for needs-based reasons only,” he said.

Dams

The question: In the past five years, Michigan has endured repeated failure crises at aging, undersized and often privately owned dams whose owners failed to address longstanding safety concerns. These events have endangered the public and cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.

What steps, if any, would you take to reduce the risks posed by dangerous dams? And what is your position on Consumers Energy’s proposal to sell its 13 dams to a private company?

James, Benson and Swanson all articulated some misgivings over Consumers’ plan to sell dams to a private company.

Swanson, a Democrat, said he is “firmly against” the proposed sale, arguing “privatization of our infrastructure has repeatedly placed the lives, livelihoods, homes, and property of Michiganders in jeopardy.”

Fellow Democrat Benson said she would “prioritize public safety by strengthening dam inspections, improving oversight and enforcement, and ensuring owners are held accountable for long-term maintenance and repairs before disasters happen.”

The oversight would be funded, she said, via a new “dam safety and resilience fund.”

Any proposed sale must “include strong safeguards, full transparency, and enforceable accountability standards,” Benson added, but she didn’t say how the safeguards would financially protect nearby property owners if a dam fails.

James, a Republican, said he would not “rubber stamp” the Consumers sale.

“Any buyer must prove it has the financial capacity, technical expertise, and long-term maintenance plan to operate those dams safely,” he added.

A one-size-fits-all approach to Michigan’s aging dams is inappropriate, James argued. He said he wanted to see broad infrastructure investment to mitigate flood risk, and pointed to his congressional record as evidence of his commitment to the issue.

“Dam policy should be based on engineering, public safety, local input, and peer-reviewed science, not political ideology,” he said. “Some dams may need removal. Some may need repair. Some serve important functions including recreation, flood control, water level regulation, drainage, and aquifer recharge.”

Johnson does not address dams as part of his since-released energy plan, but said he would “launch a MEGA Audit” to aggressively review state department spending that is also “focused on utilities and regulators.”

“I am going to not only repair our dams efficiently, we’re going to make sure that we have better quality of life,” he said during a May candidate forum, before plugging his plan to eliminate the state income tax.

Energy

The question: Michigan in 2023 passed a suite of legislation aiming to hasten the state’s energy transition, most notably a requirement for regulated utilities to achieve 100% clean energy by 2040 and a law that allows the state to approve large wind and solar arrays over local objections.

How is the system working, and would you push to change anything about it?

Republican candidates are united in their opposition to the clean energy and siting laws approved by Democrats in recent years.

James said repealing that mandate would be a priority. Saying Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has “chosen communism over common sense,” he said he would pursue an “all-of-the-above energy strategy” that would include “natural gas, nuclear, hydro, renewables where they make economic sense, biofuels and emerging technologies.”

James also promised to replace the members of the Michigan Public Service Commission, which regulates state utilities. He said current members “have demonstrated they are far more interested in pursuing an extremist ideological agenda and rubber-stamping rate increases for big utility monopolies than protecting ratepayers.”

Johnson, in his energy plan, also called for overhauling the commission, saying it should serve as “a watchdog for the people – not a rubber stamp for utilities.”

And while James said the switch to carbon-free energy sources would drive up costs, Johnson pushed for a diversity of “energy choice programs for residents and small businesses.”

“Consumers deserve options – not one-size fits all pricing,” reads Johnson’s online energy platform.

Benson and Swanson, the Democrats, support the energy transition law.

“If done right, this law puts Michigan in a position to lead the nation: expanding clean energy, strengthening grid reliability and lowering costs for families at the same time,” Benson said.

Swanson agreed with Benson on that front but joined Republicans in calling for officials to revisit the clean energy siting law, which allows the state to override local opposition.

“We must look at ways to return regulatory authority back to local zoning boards across our state on these critical issues,” he said.

Climate change

The question: Leading scientists warn that humanity’s reliance on fossil fuel energy is dangerously warming the globe. In Michigan, effects range from shorter winters and more intense periods of storm and drought to worsening wildfire smoke, disappearing boreal forests and shrinking fish.

What, if anything, would you do to mitigate the causes of climate change or help Michigan weather its impacts?

Unlike other Republicans, James did not dismiss climate change, telling Bridge that Michigan “should take changing weather patterns seriously.”

“Farmers already see the effects of intense storms, drought, flooding, shifting growing seasons and unpredictable conditions,” he said, adding his climate policy would be based on “resilience, innovation and peer-reviewed science.”

James also said he’d prioritize adaptation and resilience-related policies to prepare Michigan for a future of more unstable weather, and called for further investments in stormwater systems, roads, water infrastructure, forest management and more.

Johnson’s energy plan does not mention climate change. Nor did he respond to multiple requests for comments when initial questions were sent out to the gubernatorial candidates in May.

Among Democrats, Benson said there is a clear need to address climate change.

“Michigan should lead the nation in clean energy manufacturing, innovation, and climate resilience,” she said, promising to grow clean energy jobs that “will protect our water, modernize our infrastructure, expand public transit, and reduce pollution.”

Swanson said climate change “deserves a multi-pronged approach by a coalition of government, private sector, and environmental organizations.”

“From implementing renewable energy generation at our wastewater plants to energy efficiency upgrades to our city, township and village halls, opportunities to make meaningful change and improvement are tangible and achievable,” he said.

Great Lakes

The question: Gone are the days when industry openly dumped toxic waste into the Great Lakes. But challenges remain, from invasive mussels that have tanked fish populations to algae blooms fueled by farm runoff and the unsettled debate about the Line 5 pipeline.

What do you see as the biggest threats to the Great Lakes, and how would you seek to address them?

There is bipartisan agreement on the importance of responding to invasive species, but disagreement on other issues, including the Line 5 oil pipeline on the bottom of the Straits of Mackinac.

Both Democrats still running emphasized corporate accountability and regulatory enforcement as a means of tackling pollution. Benson pointed to aging infrastructure, toxic runoff, sewage overflows and the Line 5 pipeline as intertwined threats.

“I’ll hold polluters accountable, modernize our pipes and water infrastructure, and take action to stop the toxic runoff and contamination that threatens our health, tourism economy and natural resources,” Benson said.

Swanson drew on his experience with the Flint water crisis and the Lockhart Chemical spill, calling for tougher criminal penalties on environmental violators and arguing that existing fines are too weak to deter bad actors.

Among Republicans, James pledged to work to end litigation over the Line 5 tunnel project, saying he would “stop using energy providers as political targets.”

Benson and Swanson pledged to uphold the Great Lakes Compact, an intergovernmental document chartered to prevent such diversions.

James highlighted congressional earmarks he secured for sewer and water projects in southeast Michigan, and called for ending the Whitmer administration’s litigation against the pipeline’s contentious tunnel replacement.

He also said he was “firmly opposed” to both oil drilling in the Great Lakes, as well as diverting Great Lakes water to other parts of the country “full stop.”

In July, state agencies issued key permits for the controversial Line 5 tunnel in the Straits of Mackinac, concluding the project’s benefits outweigh drawbacks that include disruption to Native American burial sites and harm to wetlands and rare species.

Johnson’s energy plan does not mention either the Great Lakes or Line 5, and Johnson did not respond to multiple requests for comments when initial questions were sent out to the gubernatorial candidates in May.

Conservation and recreation

The question: The Michigan Department of Natural Resources uses fees from park visitors, hunters and anglers to manage wildlife conservation and recreation, but stagnant revenue and inflation are straining budgets, sparking fears of hatchery closures, campground shutdowns and other cuts.

Would you support any fee increases? If so, explain. If not, how do you think the state should pay for managing public lands and wildlife?

Among Democrats, Benson promised to develop a strategic plan during her first 100 days in office to “modernize the department’s structure and revenue sources to ensure resources are being used as efficiently as possible.”

She did not comment on fee increases proposed by Whitmer.

Swanson promised not to increase fees for parks, camping or hunting, saying he would find “alternative funding mechanisms to ensure the DNR has adequate funding to operate.”

Among Republicans, James said he would not consider fee increases “without first requiring a serious review of how current dollars are being spent.”

James said he would explore other funding options, including “federal conservation dollars, public-private partnerships for management of DNR assets and services, sportsmen’s organizations, volunteer groups, local partnerships, and where appropriate, revenue from responsible forest management.”

James advocated for more spending on the state’s Pure Michigan tourism marketing campaign. Stewardship of Michigan’s natural resources “will be a top priority for my administration,” he added.

Johnson’s energy plan does get into the topic of conservation or recreation, and Johnson did not respond to multiple requests for comments when initial questions were sent out to the gubernatorial candidates in May.

Bridge Michigan Capitol reporter Simon Schuster contributed to this report.