COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – Based on growing public concern over electrical grid strain, heavy water consumption, and excessive operational noise, more than 50 Michigan communities have recently enacted temporary moratoriums on AI data centers to buy time to rewrite their regulatory frameworks.
Because state law under the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act prohibits local governments from issuing outright bans on data centers, cities and townships are shifting their strategies toward passing highly restrictive ordinances that tightly dictate where these facilities can operate and limit their resource flexibility.
The City of Coldwater has scheduled a Joint Planning Commission and City Council Special Meeting for Monday, August 17 at 5:30 p.m. at the Henry L. Brown Municipal Building, with a representative from Michigan State University Extension who specializes in zoning issues.
17th District State Senator Jonathan Lindsey (R-Coldwater) says data centers should pay more than their fair share of the cost of electricity used.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers in Lansing has introduced the Data Center Regulation Act (HB 5594-6) to impose a one-year pause on new, large-scale data center construction to allow for a study of their impacts, while House Democrats in June rolled out several bills to place stricter regulations for data centers.
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