On Wednesday, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy took questions and heard concerns from residents of Saline Township and communities across the state as it worked to finalize an environmental permit for an onsite wastewater facility proposed as part of the hyperscale data center under construction in the Washtenaw County community.
Under development by ChatGPT creator OpenAI, along with Oracle and Related Digital, the 2.2-million-square-foot facility has served as the epicenter for backlash against data center development in Michigan.
While the Saline Township Board initially voted against rezoning the project site 4-1, Related Digital filed a lawsuit accusing the board of exclusionary zoning. The board ultimately voted 4-1 to settle the suit, allowing the developer to move forward with the project…