SALINE TOWNSHIP, Mich. – The Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) is set to hold a public hearing next month to get feedback from residents on DTE Energy’s application for approval of contracts for a massive AI data center in Washtenaw County.
The hearing will be held virtually via Microsoft Teams from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 3, according to a news release from the MPSC.
Anyone who wants to participate in the meeting can join through the link or by dialing 1-248-509-0316 and then entering the conference ID 593258092#.
DTE Energy filed an application on Oct. 31 for the approval of contracts to power the facility, a proposed multi-billion-dollar AI data center in Saline Township. The project is backed by billionaire Stephen Ross, Oracle, and OpenAI, the makers of ChatGPT.
“This public hearing will add an important element of transparency in evaluating DTE Electric’s proposed special contract,” said MPSC Chair Dan Scripps. “It’s important that the public have an opportunity to have their voices heard on how DTE plans to provide electric service to this data center customer and ensure the costs of doing so are not ultimately borne by DTE’s other customers.”
The regulatory agency stated it will evaluate the contract by considering several criteria, including safeguards for other ratepayers who might be affected by a “very large new customer” joining the power grid. These safeguards aim to prevent residents and businesses from subsidizing data centers or paying extra costs.
DTE Energy has previously said there won’t be additional costs to customers and that service will be more reliable.
According to the news release, the agency said it controls the electricity and natural gas rates charged to the data center. However, it does not have control over the location or construction of the center, including any decisions about water use.
Anyone with questions about participating in the meeting can contact the MPSC’s executive secretary at 517-284-8090. Those who need assistance are encouraged to reach out by Nov. 26.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said this meeting still doesn’t allow for “meaningful intervention” and would “amount to little more than performative listening.”
“Despite this announcement, the MPSC is still not allowing for meaningful intervention and review on these DTE data center contracts,” said Nessel. "Without formal hearings and a contested case declaration, this alone would amount to little more than performative listening rather than thorough public scrutiny. I am concerned that the MPSC has yet to respond to my request to intervene and hold true hearings, and I am fearful that today’s announcement signals they have no intention to hold the formal hearings our residents and ratepayers deserve. To protect Michiganders in this crucial moment we must demand a full, formal contested case, where parties can issue demands for discovery, submit informed expert testimony, and create a record of evidence upon which the MPSC, and everyone across the State, can fairly evaluate these contracts.”
Last week, residents packed a Saline Township board meeting to speak out against the proposed data center.
Read more --> ‘Nobody’s here to protect us!’: Washtenaw County residents pack meeting to protest AI data center
Township attorney Fred Lucas said after the board voted against rezoning the land to make way for the center back in September, they were sued by both the developers and landowners.
“I don’t know of a single member up there that was in favor of saying, yeah, let’s get a data center,” Lucas said. “The question was simply this. Of the outcomes that could occur in a litigation, what was the best possible outcome for the township?”
The township entered into a consent judgment with protections in place that will regulate noise, traffic and water use, instead of fighting the development in court.
“Even had we won the lawsuit, there were potential outcomes that were potentially worse than what we’re looking at now,” Lucas said.
Related Digital, the project’s developer, plans to invest an additional $14 million in local initiatives requested by the township board, including funding for fire departments, a community investment fund, and a farmland preservation trust.
Despite the developer saying they’ve been engaged with the local community since the summer of 2024, residents are outraged that plans for the development are moving forward with minimal input from the public.
“Nobody trusts DTE around here anyway to begin with, and every data center that’s put in the country, they lie about their water usage,” said Josh Lebaron, whose home is near the project site.
Kathryn Haushalter has lived in her house for more than 13 years and says she felt blindsided to learn the data center was being built just feet from her home.
“Nobody’s here to protect us,” Haushalter told the board. “I am angry, and maybe you can’t do anything about it, but I am angry you didn’t fight harder.”
After DTE tried to fast-track approval of the data center and skip public hearings, Nessel filed a notice of intervention before the MPSC, urging them to hold public meetings.
DTE Energy is pushing for a decision by Dec. 5. If approved, construction would begin early next year.