This week, Michigan citizens have an important chance to intervene with the Michigan Public Service Commission and insist that DTE’s proposal for providing electricity to the data center be subject to thorough and careful vetting, not merely waved through.
A public comment period about this proposal is currently open until Friday, December 5, and a two-hour virtual public hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, December 3. Details for participation are below–but first, you may wish to review some of the context for this particular call to action.
Earlier this fall, Saline Township (a small community in Washtenaw County) garnered national notice by opposing a proposal by Oracle, Open AI, and Related Digital to purchase 575 acres of land and build a massive data center. The township’s formal resistance was short-lived, since the data center backers (& the landowner) filed suit to challenge the township’s resistance to rezone the property, and township trustees realized they could not match the resources arrayed against them. Immediately after the township agreed to a settlement, Gov. Whitmer enthusiastically endorsed the project, stating it would bring hundreds of new jobs. (See 10/30/2025 update from Kyle Davidson in Michigan Advance, for key background details.)
But opponents of the massive data center have not yet fully yielded their right to evaluate plans for its operation. They have a key ally in MI Attorney General Dana Nessel, who filed a notice on November 6 asking the MI Public Service Commission to scrutinize DTE’s ex-parte request for approval of their proposal to supply power to the data center. Nessel and several public advocacy groups note that DTE offers assurances but little hard evidence that the center can be powered without adverse effects, including higher costs, to other ratepayers and to the state’s natural resources. Per Nessel, “a public hearing [is] the only way to ensure transparency in the process as well as confirm the details of DTE’s proposal before approval is granted.”
So far, MPSC has agreed to hold one virtual public hearing–this Wednesday, December 3, from 6:30-8:30 PM–on the Microsoft Teams platform. Public comments may also be submitted in writing no later than Friday, December 5; see directions below. But AG Nessel remains unconvinced this single hearing/comment period will suffice. Davidson reported on 11/25/2025 that Nessel stated “without a contested case declaration [which would allow much deeper examination of DTE’s proposal], the hearing amounts to ‘performative listening rather than thorough public scrutiny’.
Sarah Cwiek of Michigan Public Radio explains why Nessel and others question DTE’s claims about the impact of this center:
“The data center itself is expected to be massive. It’s part of a multinational artificial intelligence infrastructure project called Stargate. DTE, the power utility in southeast Michigan, said it’s expected to consume about 1.4 gigawatts of electricity – equivalent to about one-fourth of DTE’s current grid capacity. That’s more than the electricity generated by an average nuclear power plant, and comparable to the power consumption of some mid-sized cities.”
For additional context, see also this excellent and comprehensive guide to data centers in Michigan by Nina Misuraca Ignaczak, the founder, publisher, and editor of Planet Detroit.
HOW TO OFFER YOUR INPUT TO THE MPSC
1) SUBMIT COMMENTS IN WRITING (deadline Friday December 5)
a) Either directly through the Public Service commission’s online docket (case number, U-21990): Click “submit comment” and complete the form.
b) Or by emailing them to mpscedockets@michigan.gov.
2) SPEAK AT THE VIRTUAL PUBLIC HEARING (Wed., December 3, 6:30-8:30 PM)
Participants can join through the meeting’s Microsoft Teams link or by dialing 1-248-509-0316 and entering the conference ID 593258092# when prompted. NOTE: See this Microsoft Support page for tips about checking your device’s compatibility with the Microsoft Teams platform.