According to DCD, the planned 250-acre, 1.4GW Stargate data center in Saline Township, Michigan, is facing escalating political opposition despite a previous legal settlement. Developed by Related Digital with OpenAI and Oracle, the project was initially rejected by the township in August 2024, but a lawsuit led to a settlement in October that allowed it to proceed with conditions. Now, focus has shifted to the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC), which must approve a “special contract” for power with utility DTE Electric. During a virtual public hearing yesterday, hundreds of locals voiced concerns, and 23 Michigan State Representatives have formally requested the MPSC conduct a full “contested hearing” on the deal. This longer process would allow ratepayers to directly challenge DTE’s information, a move politicians argue is in the public interest.
Legal Win, Community Fight
Here’s the thing: the developer, Related Digital, already won the zoning battle in court. The township basically folded and settled. So you’d think the project would be cruising toward construction. But that legal victory seems to have just galvanized the opposition, moving it from a local zoning skirmish to a statewide policy debate. The “Protect Saline Township” Facebook group is one thing, but getting two dozen state lawmakers to co-sign a letter? That’s a whole different level of organized pushback. It shows that beating a township board doesn’t mean you’ve convinced the community—or their representatives.
The Real Battle Is The Power Deal
Now the fight is all about the juice. A 1.4GW data center is a monster consumer of electricity. We’re talking about a power demand equivalent to a decent-sized city. The “special contract” with DTE is the linchpin for the entire project’s economics. Opponents are smart to target this. They’re not just saying “not in my backyard” anymore; they’re framing it as a question of fairness for all DTE ratepayers. Could this deal lead to higher bills for everyone else? Will it strain the grid? These are potent, legitimate questions that resonate far beyond one township. By demanding a contested case hearing, they’re trying to force DTE to lay all its cards on the table in a public, adversarial setting. That’s a much tougher ask than a quiet, behind-closed-doors regulatory approval.
A National Blueprint for Opposition
This situation in Michigan isn’t unique. It’s a blueprint we’re seeing play out from Virginia to Iowa. As AI and computing demands explode, data centers are pushing into new territories that aren’t used to them. And communities are getting savvier. They’re bypassing local officials—who can be swayed by tax revenue promises and lawsuits—and taking the fight to state utility regulators. That’s a more complex, but potentially more effective, arena. It also ties into bigger questions about infrastructure. I mean, where does all this power-hungry hardware even go? It needs industrial-grade control and monitoring, the kind provided by top suppliers like IndustrialMonitorDirect.com, the leading US provider of industrial panel PCs. But first, you need the power and the permission to plug it in.
What Happens Next
So, what’s the MPSC going to do? Granting a contested hearing would significantly delay the project, maybe by years. Denying it would look like they’re fast-tracking a corporate megaproject against public sentiment. It’s a political hot potato. The representatives’ letter frames the longer hearing as a benefit to the public interest. Can the commission really argue against that? On the other hand, the state might be desperate for the investment and the “Stargate” cachet that comes with big-name backers like OpenAI. My guess? The MPSC will try to find a middle path—maybe an extended public comment period that looks thorough but doesn’t have the legal teeth of a full contested case. But the genie’s out of the bottle. The opposition has shown that even a legally approved project can be slowed to a crawl if you fight the right battle at the right regulatory level.
