In a scenario likely to repeat statewide, a $7 billion data center planned for a rural Saline Township is prompting debate about jobs versus environmental impacts and noise.
Kelly House
Kelly House covers Michigan environmental issues for Bridge. She joined the Bridge staff in March 2020. Previously, Kelly reported for the Oregonian, where her coverage of the environment and other topics garnered national honors and sparked state efforts to better protect Oregon’s natural resources. She has a master’s degree in environmental law from Lewis & Clark Law School and a bachelor’s in journalism from Michigan State University. She is from Harrison and lives in Lansing. You can reach her at khouse@bridgemi.com or on Twitter at @Kelly_M_House.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan OKs landmark regulations that push up-front costs to data centers
New rules require big data centers in Consumers Energy’s territory to sign long-term power contracts and pay all costs to build transmission lines, substations and other infrastructure needed to serve the energy-hungry facilities.
Posted inMichigan Government
FBI: Grand Blanc shooting was ‘targeted’ attack on Mormons: What we know
Check here for the latest developments from the church attack in Grand Blanc Township.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Consumers: Selling Michigan dams, paying double for power cheapest route
Company officials hope to get regulators’ signoff on plans to essentially give away 13 dams, then buy back the power at twice the going rate. They say that’s cheaper for ratepayers than the alternatives of keeping the dams or decommissioning them.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Tech giants announce $7B data center, Michigan’s first hyperscale campus
Three tech companies have announced plans to build a massive data center on 575 acres in rural southwest Washtenaw County.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
After long legal battle, Michigan toughens poop patrol at factory farms
State regulators first announced stricter pollution regulations for industrial-scale livestock farms back in 2020. But years of legal challenges from farming interests kept them from enforcing them until now.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
As data center boom hits Michigan, utilities hedge against a bust
As utilities field dozens of inquiries from companies looking to build energy-hungry data centers in Michigan, they’re grappling with a thorny question: Who’ll cover the electricity bill if the boom goes bust?
Posted inMichigan Government
Federal shutdown hits Michigan telehealth, Head Start, environment, more
One researcher called the shutdown “a crisis in slow motion” and multiple officials said cuts will worsen if the shutdown drags on.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
What to know about Michigan whitefish crisis, from limits to solutions
Invasive mussels that blanket the depths of lakes Huron and Michigan have pushed whitefish to the brink of extinction. What to know about possible solutions and why Lake Superior so far is spared.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Whitefish crash has Michigan fishers on the brink: ‘It makes you want to cry’
Only a few dozen commercial fishing operations remain on the Great Lakes, as invasive species have decimated the industry. It’s a collapse unlike any in the world, and solutions are few.