Michigan Data Center Intel

Recent Michigan data center news

• Jan 15, 2026

  EPA drops health cost calculations for air pollution: How it could harm Detroiters

  The Environmental Protection Agency will stop calculating monetary health benefits (prevented deaths and health-care cost savings) for ozone and PM 2.5 in its rulemaking process (Jan. 9 decision).

  • Main action: The EPA announced on Jan. 9 it will stop monetizing health benefits from reductions in ozone and PM 2.5 while continuing to count industry compliance costs; the agency said it is “refining its methods” and will still consider pollutant impacts but not their monetary valuation at this time.
  • Background and related details: The change follows legal and policy battles including a 2025 finding that Wayne County failed to meet the EPA’s PM 2.5 standard, a Dec. 2025 Sixth Circuit ruling returning the Detroit region to ozone nonattainment, and concerns the change could affect auto emissions rules and emissions from natural gas turbines at data centers; related coverage notes the EPA seeks a $140 million civil penalty vs the facility’s proposed $5 million settlement in an EES Coke Battery case.
• Jan 14, 2026

  Patented: Machine Learning Treatment for Depression and More North Texas Inventive Activity

  The Board of Regents of the University of Texas System, Stanford University, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs have been granted a patent for a machine-learning method to identify depression patients likely to respond to antidepressant treatment.

  • Main announcement: The three institutions received USPTO Patent No. 12490933 for a method that uses machine learning to identify subjects with depression who will respond to antidepressant treatment, listing Madhukar Trivedi among the inventors; the patent application listed is 19072469 on 03/06/2025 (278 days app to issue).
  • Background and context: The article is a Dallas Innovates weekly patents roundup reporting 100 patents granted in the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metro for the week of 12/9/25 (ranked No. 11 of 250 metros); it catalogs numerous other patents and top assignees (e.g., Texas Instruments Inc. (10 patents), Toyota (9), Samsung (7)) and provides USPTO links for individual patents.
• Jan 14, 2026

  Data center protest in Van Buren Township targets 1-gigawatt proposal

  Panattoni Development Co. has proposed an 800,000‑square‑foot data center in Van Buren Township and a public protest is planned ahead of a township planning commission meeting.

  • Project details: The proposal describes an 800,000‑square‑foot facility with potential energy demand of roughly 1 gigawatt, and cooling water use estimated at between 2 and 3.6 million gallons per day (water to be purchased from the township, supplied by the Great Lakes Water Authority). The developer plans to use ultra‑low sulfur diesel backup generators with exhaust scrubbers that the FAQ says will remove 90% of particulates. The developer is expected to formally present to the planning commission on Feb. 11. A public protest is scheduled Wednesday at 5 p.m. at Van Buren Township Hall, 46425 Tyler Road, Van Buren Township, MI 48111.
  • Context and background: Local organizers say public outreach has been inadequate and a petition opposing the project has over 1,300 signatures; DTE Energy (Daniel Mahoney) submitted a letter of support stating that tax break law protects residential customers, while outside experts have questioned whether the law prevents costs from being passed to other ratepayers. The planning commission packet does not include Panattoni’s proposal for the immediate meeting; township staff confirmed the Feb. 11 hearing date.
• Jan 14, 2026

  Climate Change Solutions - January 13, 2026

  The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) announced its first Congressional briefing of the year, a wildfire solutions briefing on Tuesday, January 27, hosted with the Federation of American Scientists.

  • Main announcement: EESI will host a Congressional briefing titled “Igniting Innovation: Progress and a Path Forward for Wildfire Policy” on Tuesday, January 27, 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. (reception to follow) at Russell Senate Office Building, Room SR-385 and online; RSVP available on the EESI briefing page and a reception follows the briefing.
  • Background & related actions: The newsletter summarizes recent federal actions signed by the President including MAPWaters (P.L. 119-62) improving recreational waterway data collection, Save Our Seas 2.0 (P.L. 119-65) reauthorizing EPA marine debris programs, Great Lakes Fishery Research Reauthorization (P.L. 119-67) for USGS research funding, and La Paz County Solar Energy and Job Creation Act (P.L. 119-68) (expected to create more than 700 jobs and provide enough solar and battery capacity to power about 75,000 homes); it also notes wildfire costs of $424 billion annually and highlights EESI coverage on data center water use (cited by multiple media outlets).
• Jan 14, 2026

  Emerging Data Center Markets: Key Locations to Watch in 2026

  Cushman & Wakefield reports that power and land constraints in major U.S. data center hubs are driving operators to consider secondary and tertiary markets.

  • Main announcement: Cushman & Wakefield finds power and land constraints in primary hubs (Northern Virginia, Phoenix, Dallas-Fort Worth, Chicago, Atlanta, Portland/Eastern Oregon) are shifting site selection toward secondary/tertiary markets; highlights include OpenAI’s Stargate (~$100 billion) and Vantage Frontier (~$25+ billion) as large upcoming projects.
  • Details/background: Regions such as Pennsylvania, the Carolinas, Central Washington, New Jersey, and Massachusetts are offering economic incentives, faster approvals, and flexible regulatory frameworks; Central Washington offers low-cost hydro power enabling 100% renewable operation but is also facing power constraints.
• Jan 14, 2026

  Will new EPA rule fast-track fossil fuel projects, data centers?

  The Environmental Protection Agency proposed a rule to limit states’ and tribes’ authority under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act.

  • Main action: The EPA proposed narrowing Section 401 reviews to focus on direct releases to federally regulated waters, with measures including a clear description of applicant submissions, strict deadlines for state/tribal reviews, and a requirement that states fully explain any conditions or permit rejections; a final rule is expected in the spring after a public comment period.
  • Background and details: The proposal echoes the Trump administration’s earlier 401 rule, comes after the Biden administration’s 2023 expansion allowing states/tribes to “holistically evaluate” project impacts, follows the Supreme Court’s 2023 Sackett v. EPA decision that limited federal jurisdiction, and drew criticism from Earthjustice (Moneen Nasmith: “EPA’s claims that states and tribes are overreaching are baseless”).
• Jan 13, 2026

  Six Stony Brook University Faculty Mentor Regeneron STS Scholars

  Stony Brook University announced that ten high school students mentored by six Stony Brook faculty were named among the top 300 semifinalists in the 2026 Regeneron Science Talent Search (Regeneron STS).

  • Main announcement: Ten Simons Summer Research Program fellows, mentored by six Stony Brook faculty, were named among the top 300 Regeneron STS semifinalists; each semifinalist and their high school will receive $2,000. The article lists faculty mentors (Benjamin Hsiao, Mohammad Javad Amiri, Yuefan Deng, Zhenhua Liu, Howard Sirotkin, Nengkun Yu) and student projects such as stormwater remediation of 6PPD, AI-enabled drug discovery for oncogenic eIF4E, and Carbon-Aware Reserve Allocation and Checkpoint Scheduling for GPU Sustainability.
  • Background and details: The semifinalists were selected from >2,600 applicants representing 46 states, Washington, D.C., Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and 16 countries; 40 finalists will be announced on January 21 to compete for over $3.1 million in awards during a week-long event in Washington, D.C., March 5–11. The piece references the Society for Science administration of Regeneron STS and notes that since 1997 about 600 semifinalists have been mentored by Stony Brook faculty.
• Jan 13, 2026

  US carbon pollution rose in 2025. Experts blame cold winter, high natural gas prices, data centers

  The Rhodium Group reported U.S. greenhouse gas emissions rose 2.4% in 2025.

  • Main finding and figures: The Rhodium Group estimated U.S. emissions rose 2.4% in 2025 to 5.9 billion tons (5.35 billion metric tons) CO2e, an increase of 139 million tons (126 million metric tons) from 2024; the report attributes the rise to a cold winter, explosive growth of data centers and cryptocurrency mining, and higher natural gas prices leading to a 13% increase in coal power.
  • Background and additional details:Solar generation jumped 34%, zero-carbon sources supplied 42% of U.S. power, the study’s authors (including Ben King) said Trump administration rollbacks had not yet influenced 2025 levels, and researchers now project the 2035 emissions decline to be about one-third smaller than previous projections; statements and reactions were provided by the University of Michigan (Jonathan Overpeck), activist Bill McKibben, and the EPA.
• Jan 13, 2026

  US carbon pollution rose in 2025. Experts blame cold winter, high natural gas prices, data centers

  Rhodium Group calculated that U.S. greenhouse gas emissions rose in 2025 compared with 2024.

  • Main finding: The Rhodium Group estimated the U.S. emitted 5.9 billion tons (5.35 billion metric tons) of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2025, an increase of 139 million tons (126 million metric tons) from 2024; the report cites a cool winter, explosive growth of data centers and cryptocurrency mining, and higher natural gas prices as primary drivers, with coal generation up 13% contributing substantially to the power-sector increase.
  • Additional details and context:Solar generation jumped 34%, pushing solar past hydro and bringing zero-carbon sources to 42% of U.S. power; the Rhodium authors say Trump administration policy rollbacks had not been in place long enough to affect 2025 data, and the report’s earlier 2035 projections have been revised down (projected pollution drop now about one-third less than prior estimates).
• Jan 13, 2026

  Lyon Township ‘may be revisiting’ data center site plan: Residents pack meeting

  The Lyon Township Planning Commission is hosting an informational meeting and reviewing the conditional site plan for Project Flex, with final approval contingent on independent review of the sound study and an energy audit; the township is accepting questions through Feb. 8.

  • Main action:Project Flex is a proposed 1.8-million-square-foot data center comprising six buildings on 172 acres; the Planning Commission granted conditional site plan approval on Sept. 8 and may revisit that approval pending an independent sound study review and an energy audit. Meetings: Q&A with experts 7 p.m. Jan. 15 (South Lyon East High School Auditorium, 52200 10 Mile Road) and an informational meeting 7 p.m. Jan. 22 (same location); questions accepted until 11:59 p.m. Feb. 8 via the township portal, in person at township hall (58000 Grand River Ave., New Hudson, MI 48165), or drop box.

  • Background/details: Plans were submitted by Verrus (operated by holding company Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners, with investors Alphabet, StepStone, and the Ontario Teacher’s Pension Plan); the development would require a new DTE Energy substation and be served by battery energy storage for outages under four hours and packaged diesel generators in acoustic enclosures for longer outages. A Kimley-Horn sound study estimated operational noise at 44 dB(A) (study did not include diesel generator noise); trade reporting notes diesel generators can reach ~110 dB(A).