LANSING, Mich. (Dec. 18, 2025) — Today, Sen. Rosemary Bayer (D-West Bloomfield) and her colleagues Sens. Sue Shink (D-Northfield Twp.) and Erika Geiss (D-Taylor) introduced legislation with bipartisan support to begin regulating the swiftly growing hyperscale data center industry in Michigan. Given increasing public interest, reports of massive water and energy usage, projections of infrastructure upgrade requirements, and the simple need for transparency in a rapidly expanding industry, Senate Bills 761-763 aim to address concerns shared by many Michiganders.
“We have seen hyperscale data center projects proposed in Saline, Battle Creek, Mason, and many other places throughout Michigan. Residents of these communities are rightfully concerned, and by implementing additional guardrails, we can protect our constituents and our natural resources,” said Sen. Bayer. “These bills advance our work to protect our state from problems we have seen across the country with these types of data centers, like in Arizona and New Jersey. We will continue to be proactive problem solvers to prevent utility bills from skyrocketing at a time when affordability and household incomes are already stretched thin.”
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Senate Bill 761 (BAYER) would prohibit users who withdraw over an average of 2,000,000 gallons of water per day for consumptive use from obtaining a water withdrawal permit in our state. By “consumptive use,” the bill refers to water that is “lost,” through evaporation or otherwise, and is not returned to the water system.
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Senate Bill 762 (SHINK) would establish transparency standards by requiring the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) to publish annual reports regarding the total energy expenditures and water usage of data centers.
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Senate Bill 763 (GEISS) would prohibit the passage of infrastructure improvement costs to residential ratepayers.
This legislation has been referred to the Senate Committee on Energy and Environment for consideration.