Saline Township residents protest pushes back on data center development

Saline Township residents protest data center proposal

A $7 billion data center project is planned to be built over 575 acres of farmland - and plenty of Saline residents showed their displeasure with a protest Monday.

SALINE, Mich. (FOX 2) - A proposed data center project is causing controversy in Saline Township - and those opposed to it, are getting their voices heard.

The backstory:

The $7-billion data center project is a part of ‘Stargate,’ which is by developer Related Digital along with OpenAI and Oracle. The mega project is to be built over 575 acres of farmland in Saline.

Developers say it will bring tax revenue and hundreds of jobs. But critics fear removal of greenspace, pollution and higher utility bills, among others.

The project was initially shot down by the township, but then came a lawsuit by the developer Related Digital and the property owners. After that, the project was greenlit.

But today some local residents took to the streets in protest.

"The  goal of this particular protest is to not let DTE have a secret deal and avoid public scrutiny over the data center in Saline Township," said Tim Bruneau, resident. "It’s going to raise all of our rates if this thing goes through - and it's not just a Saline Township problem. There are proposed data centers in Howell, Ypsilanti Township, Augusta Township, Lowell, Dundee. It’s everywhere and all of our rates are going to go up.

"It's a well-known fact that rates go up 25 to 30 percent in areas that have data centers."

Sarah Brabbs, is a resident of York Township who showed up to let her voice be heard.

"I watched the power of collective anger of when we were run over by people in power in the state that rolled out plans without thinking or with other agenda items like making a lot of money possibly, at stake," she said. "It makes me so angry, and I'm so invested on so many different levels that we could talk for an hour about it."

FOX 2 reached out to DTE and OpenAI for a statement and we are waiting to hear back.