Natalya Swartz
 |  Lansing State Journal

Growing up outside of Haslett, water was everywhere. I associated it with beach days, pontoon rides, and frog ponds. As a conservation social scientist, I have come to realize what water truly is: a finite resource more precious than gold.

Artificial intelligence companies have set their sights on our state, its water, and its new tax exemptions. Lansing could eventually be home to a two story, 24-megawatt data center run by U.K. based Deep Green in conjunction with the Lansing Board of Water & Light, although the company on Monday pulled its proposal just before a City Council vote.

In April of 2025 the Enterprise Data Center Sales & Use Tax Exemptions went into effect. Neither Public Act 181 (a use tax exemption) or Public Act 207 (a sales tax exemption) were voted on by the public, but Michigan residents will feel their effects. The tax breaks go not into the hands of Michiganders, but into the pockets of companies that see Michigan’s water not as a source of pride, but as a resource to be extracted.

Being a steward of this landscape is as important as it is difficult. Public details around new AI developments are often vague and full of jargon. Saline Township, just south of Ann Arbor, recently lost its fight to tech giant, OpenAI, after voting 4-1 against rezoning for the project in September of last year. OpenAI’s 2.2 million square foot “hyperscale” project sits on a 575-acre site, the largest in the entire nation. The project costs a whopping $7 billion and is the largest investment in Michigan history. 

This is only the beginning of the AI boom. The Stargate Project in Saline is one of many. There are already 44 data centers operating in Michigan. There are currently many more in the planning stages including “large” data centers in Howell, Ypsilanti, and Augusta Township and a “smaller” one in Lansing.

The conversation around AI has always revolved around water which is exactly why residents of the Great Lakes State should be keeping an eye on AI. Projects like Stargate will affect the groundwater that provides water to 45% of Michigan households. Beyond our personal daily use, AI companies have the capacity to destroy massive swaths of wetlands which are some of the most important ecosystems in the world providing a myriad of ecosystem services including increased water quality, flood protection, and erosion control. The protection of the water in the Great Lakes Basin is a necessity for human and ecosystem health for generations to come.

There has never been a time where it has been so important to be a proud Michigander. The water wonderland we have grown up loving is being targeted for the very resources that make Michigan such a unique and wondrous place. Now is the moment to step up as stewards of our home state. Contact your legislators. Demand transparency on data center water use. Demand legally binding environmental protections. Stewardship begins with you.

Natalya Swartz is a Haslett native and a master’s student in conservation leadership at Colorado State University.