Michigan is a place unlike any other. We are the only state in the nation bordered by four of the five Great Lakes, holding more freshwater coastline than anywhere else in the country. Our lakes, our dunes, our farms, our small towns, and our rural communities are not just scenic backdrops. They are our identity, our economy, and our legacy. We, the concerned residents of Michigan, urge every elected official across this state to stand united in preventing the establishment of industrial data centers along our Great Lakes shorelines.
West Michigan and Lake Michigan: The Front Line
Nowhere is this threat more immediate than along the western shore of Michigan, where Lake Michigan defines the character of every community from Berrien County in the south to Emmet County in the north. The West Michigan coastline is home to some of the most stunning freshwater landscapes in the world, including the towering dunes of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, the orchards and vineyards of Leelanau and Benzie, the fishing villages and beach towns that have sustained families for generations, and the agricultural communities of Oceana, Mason, and Muskegon Counties that depend on clean water and healthy land.
Oceana County, a gem nestled in the heart of Michigan's western shoreline, exemplifies what is at stake. Renowned for its natural beauty, vibrant communities, and agricultural legacy, Oceana is now at risk from the potential intrusion of industrial data centers. We call upon the Oceana County Board of Commissioners, along with all township boards and supervisors, specifically those in Benona Township, Claybanks Township, Crystal Township, Elbridge Township, Ferry Township, Greenwood Township, Hart Township, Leavitt Township, Newfield Township, Otto Township, and Pentwater, to protect our county and set an example for the rest of the state.
We extend that same call to elected officials across every Lake Michigan shoreline county in Michigan's Lower and Upper Peninsulas: Berrien, Van Buren, Allegan, Ottawa, Muskegon, Oceana, Mason, Manistee, Benzie, Leelanau, Grand Traverse, Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet, and in the Upper Peninsula, Menominee, Delta, Schoolcraft, and Mackinac Counties.
Lake Huron: Michigan's Sunrise Side
Along Michigan's eastern shore, Lake Huron stretches from the Straits of Mackinac to the state's southeastern corner, forming the entire eastern border of the Lower Peninsula. The Sunrise Side is defined by its lighthouses, its shipwreck history, its quiet fishing communities, and its pristine northern waters. Industrial development along this shoreline poses the same threats to water quality, rural character, and community wellbeing.
We call on elected officials in all Lake Huron shoreline counties to take a stand: Cheboygan, Presque Isle, Alpena, Alcona, Iosco, Arenac, Bay, Tuscola, Huron, Sanilac, and St. Clair Counties.
Lake Superior: Michigan's Upper Peninsula Crown
Lake Superior is the largest and deepest of the Great Lakes, and Michigan's Upper Peninsula holds some of its most remote and unspoiled shoreline. From the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Alger County to the Keweenaw Peninsula and the wilderness of Ontonagon and Gogebic Counties in the west, Lake Superior's Michigan shore represents some of the last truly wild freshwater coastline in North America. It must be protected with the same urgency.
We call on elected officials in all Lake Superior shoreline counties to act: Chippewa, Luce, Alger, Marquette, Baraga, Houghton, Keweenaw, Ontonagon, and Gogebic Counties.
Lake Erie: Michigan's Smallest but No Less Vital Shore
Though Michigan's Lake Erie shoreline in Monroe and Wayne Counties is the smallest of the four, it is no less deserving of protection. These communities face the same risks from industrial encroachment, and the lake itself is among the most ecologically stressed of the Great Lakes. Any additional industrial burden placed on this shoreline runs counter to decades of restoration work and the wellbeing of the communities that rely on it.
We call on elected officials in Monroe and Wayne Counties to stand with the rest of Michigan in protecting our Great Lakes from incompatible industrial development.
The Threat Is the Same Everywhere
Industrial data centers, with their large-scale operations and energy-intensive processes, pose significant threats to our environment regardless of which lake they border. They consume vast amounts of water, jeopardizing the local water resources that are vital for agriculture, wildlife, and community needs. Their construction and continuous operation brings noise pollution, increased heavy traffic, substantial carbon footprints, and irreversible changes to the land and landscape around them. These consequences are contrary to the values that define every Great Lakes community in Michigan.
Moreover, these data centers do not align with the rural, agricultural, and natural character that Michigan's shoreline communities have built their identities and economies around. Allowing such industrial structures would disrupt the fabric of our towns, adversely impact property values, and degrade the quality of life for residents who chose to live here precisely because it is not industrialized.
Economic analyses have consistently shown that the long-term benefits of industrial data centers in rural and rural-adjacent areas do not justify the environmental and social costs. While proponents promise job creation and infrastructure investment, the reality is that these facilities bring limited employment, primarily for highly specialized workers, and divert resources and political attention away from more sustainable and community-compatible economic ventures.
What Michigan Deserves Instead
We propose that Michigan's Great Lakes communities focus on preserving and building upon their natural assets while exploring alternative, environmentally compatible economic opportunities. Renewable energy projects, sustainable agriculture, eco-tourism, and the protection of our dunes, forests, and waterways represent a future worth fighting for. These are the industries that honor who we are and where we live.
Michigan holds one-fifth of the world's surface freshwater within its borders. That is not a resource to be traded away for short-term industrial gain. It is a responsibility, and one that every elected official in this state shares.
Sign This Petition
We call upon the Michigan Legislature, the Governor's office, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, and every county board, township board, city council, and village council along Michigan's 3,288 miles of Great Lakes shoreline to work together in preventing the establishment of industrial data centers in our lakeside communities.
Please sign this petition to urge our local and state leaders to take a stand against industrial data centers and preserve the natural beauty, rural character, and irreplaceable water resources of Michigan's Great Lakes shoreline for future generations.