Michigan's Freedom of Information Act gives you the right to public records from townships, counties, state agencies, and — for their public dealings — utilities. Here's exactly how to ask.
To the FOIA Coordinator, [Township/County]: Under Michigan's Freedom of Information Act (MCL 15.231 et seq.), I request copies of the following records regarding the proposed data center at [address/parcel]: 1. All permit and site-plan applications; 2. Any power, water, or tax agreements; 3. Correspondence between [Township] officials and [Developer] from [date] to present. I request electronic copies. If fees exceed $25, please provide an itemized estimate first. Please respond within 5 business days as required by law. [Name / email / phone]
To the MPSC FOIA Coordinator: Under MCL 15.231 et seq., I request records relating to large-load electric service agreements and interconnection filings for [project/utility], including tariff filings, load studies, and related correspondence dated [range]. I request records in electronic format and an itemized fee estimate if charges apply. [Name / email / phone]
Note: private utilities aren't always subject to FOIA, but their filings with the MPSC and local governments are. Request those through the agency, and ask the utility directly for its public interconnection queue and rate filings for [project]. [Name / email / phone]
A denial must cite a specific exemption. You can appeal to the head of the public body within the agency, or sue in circuit court. Excessive fees can also be appealed.
A data center is a large building full of computer servers that store and process digital information — the backbone of cloud services and, increasingly, artificial intelligence. The newest AI campuses are enormous: hundreds of acres and hundreds of megawatts of power, the equivalent of a small city's electricity use.
Companies target Michigan for its cool climate, water access, available land, and tax incentives. That scale is why they touch your power grid, water supply, and local zoning — and why communities are paying close attention.
Supporters and utilities make real arguments too. Here's their case, in plain terms — so you can weigh it against the community concerns above.
The counter-argument: critics say the jobs are few once built, the tax breaks can outweigh the return, and ratepayers — not the companies — can end up paying for grid and water impacts. That's the tension every hearing is really about. See the community concerns ↑
The Live Map plots every project, pause, and power plant — color-coded by status; click any pin for its source. The Data lists all 19 projects with full records.
The stats show tracked projects, disclosed load, and how many communities have hit pause. A blank load means the developer hasn't filed power needs — we show "Undisclosed," never zero.
Find your next hearing on the Meetings page — agendas and live streams included. Public comment is usually near the start; you typically get 2–3 minutes.
Good questions: What's the disclosed load and water use? Who pays for grid upgrades? What are the setback and noise limits? Is there a tax abatement — and what does the community get back?
Residents won strict setbacks, noise limits, and height caps — a template other townships are now copying.
A 1,400 MW campus moved to construction — the largest disclosed load on the tracker.
A Franklin Partners proposal was pulled after sustained local opposition.
Every project, pause, and meeting is drawn from public records and news reporting. We aggregate and summarize each item plainly — and we always link the original source. Every record carries a verified date and a confidence label (Confirmed or Reported). We never publish a number we can't cite.
See a permit or hearing we're missing? Send it — we verify before we publish.
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