No hyperscale data center should be built in Mason — or anywhere in Michigan — without the consent of the people who live there. But first, the bill has to exist as legislation. I have already emailed a draft of the Hyperscale Data Center Community Consent Act to State Representative Julie Brixie and State Senator Sarah Anthony. Now I am asking them to take the first official step: formally sponsor and introduce this draft as a bill in the Michigan Legislature. A draft emailed to legislators is not yet a bill. It must be sponsored by a legislator, introduced, numbered, and referred to committee before it can be debated, amended, voted on, passed, and signed into law. That is why the first demand of this petition is simple: Rep. Brixie and Sen. Anthony: Sponsor and introduce the Hyperscale Data Center Community Consent Act. Once it is introduced, we call on the Michigan Legislature to hold hearings, pass it, and send it to the Governor to sign. This is not just a Mason issue. It is a Michigan issue. Communities across the state are facing proposals for massive data centers that would place enormous demands on water, electricity, roads, emergency services, farmland, and local quality of life. Residents deserve a direct say, not just in Mason, but everywhere in Michigan. What the Hyperscale Data Center Community Consent Act would do: · Define a “hyperscale data center” as a data center or group of data centers on a single or contiguous site that:   · Occupies more than 100 acres of land;   · Has a contracted electrical load capacity of 100 megawatts or more; or   · Uses more than 500,000 gallons of water per day for cooling or operations. · Prohibit construction or operation unless:   · The local legislative body approves the project and that approval is not rejected by voters; or   · The voters approve the project at a regular or special election. · Allow qualified electors to petition to place the question on the ballot after the local legislative body takes final action to approve the project. · Require signatures greater than 5% of the votes cast for governor in the most recent gubernatorial election in that municipality. · Require the petition to be filed within 30 days after final local approval. · Suspend the approval from taking effect once a valid petition is filed. · Put a clear “Yes or No” question on the ballot:  · If a majority votes “No,” the approval is void and the data center cannot be constructed or operated. · Apply prospectively and not apply to projects where construction already began before the law’s effective date. Why this matters in Mason and across Michigan: · The proposed $1 billion hyperscale data center in Mason on roughly 400 acres near Columbia and College roads is exactly the kind of project this bill is meant to cover. · Mason residents deserve a direct vote before a massive industrial facility changes our water, power, roads, emergency services, and rural character. · But Mason is not alone. Similar projects are being proposed or considered across Michigan, and many communities have no clear path to a public vote. · Existing zoning and permitting processes do not consistently give residents a direct say. · This bill would create a uniform, statewide process so that every city, village, and township has the same tool: if a hyperscale data center is proposed, the people can petition for a vote. · This is not anti-growth. It is pro-democracy. When a project of this scale affects a community, the people who live there should have a voice. What we are asking: 1. Rep. Julie Brixie — publicly commit to sponsor and introduce the Hyperscale Data Center Community Consent Act in the Michigan House. 2. Sen. Sarah Anthony — publicly commit to sponsor and introduce companion legislation in the Michigan Senate. 3. If they cannot sponsor it themselves, we ask them to publicly identify a willing sponsor and support introduction. 4. Once introduced, Michigan legislative leadership should assign it to committee, hold hearings, and allow a vote. 5. The full Legislature should pass it. 6. The Governor should sign it into law. 7. Mason City Council and local officials across Michigan should not rush final approval of hyperscale data centers while residents are demanding a vote and while this bill is being considered. 8. We also urge lawmakers to ensure the bill covers projects that are proposed but not yet under construction when it takes effect, so communities like Mason are not left out. Sign this petition to tell Rep. Brixie, Sen. Anthony, and the Michigan Legislature: Sponsor and introduce the Hyperscale Data Center Community Consent Act. Let Mason and communities across Michigan vote before a hyperscale data center is built.