University Claims Withholding Water From Nuclear Weapons Data Center Is ‘Unlawfully Discriminatory’ to Data Centers
The University of Michigan has sent a legal threat over a yearlong pause that would prevent water hookup to a proposed nuclear weapons research and AI data center. Los Alamos National Laboratory and the University of Michigan are looking to build a $1.2 billion, 220,000 square foot data center in Ypsilanti Township. On April 22, the Ypsilanti Community Utility Authority (YCUA) passed a 365-day moratorium on the delivery of water to hyperscale data centers in the area while it conducted environmental sustainability and long-term water use studies.
Luther Blackburn, YCUA’s executive director, told 404 Media that the organization had no comment on potential or pending litigation, but did confirm that he’d received a legal communication from the university. “YCUA staff are working on a Request for Proposal to complete the investigations and studies outlined in the moratorium,” he said. “I believe YCUA has acted lawfully and in accordance with industry best practices by issuing the moratorium.”
The University disagreed, arguing that the moratorium was “unlawfully discriminatory” against data centers and claiming it would be legally invalid because, among other defects, it would be unrelated to any documented utility or public health needs. The university argued that courts will not side with Ypsilanti’s stance and claimed the area has plenty of water.
The letter cited various legal precedents, stating there was no evidence supporting YCUA’s claim of capacity constraints, nor did it mention the data center would affect YCUA’s ability to provide or treat water. The University also noted that YCUA leadership had stated serving the university’s project would likely help mitigate overall utility costs by improving efficiency and cost distribution.
After saying it was illegal for the Ypsilanti community to not give it water, the University claimed the moratorium discriminated against data centers. “Beyond the above legal deficiencies, the proposed moratorium is pretextual and unlawfully discriminatory because it singles out ‘data centers’ by label rather than by utility impact,” the letter said. “It is discriminatory to permit other users to connect and consume currently available capacity while the utility conducts undefined studies to determine whether there is sufficient capacity for the University’s proposed facility.”
The University then asked YCUA not to pass a moratorium, promising to “pursue” the matter. “The University respectfully requests that YCUA refuse to issue any sector-specific moratorium, instead basing any service decisions on documented utility factors, applied evenhandedly through existing permitting and technical review processes,” the letter said. “If these legal requirements are not followed by YCUA, the University reserves the right to pursue all rights and claims for necessary relief.”
The University of Michigan did not return 404 Media’s request for comment.
Key Takeaways
- The University of Michigan has sent a legal threat over a yearlong pause preventing water hookup to a proposed nuclear weapons research and AI data center.
- The Ypsilanti Community Utility Authority (YCUA) passed a 365-day moratorium on the delivery of water to hyperscale data centers, citing environmental sustainability and long-term water use studies.
- The University argued that the moratorium was unlawful and discriminatory against data centers, claiming there were no documented utility or public health needs supporting it.
- YCUA leadership stated serving the university’s project would help mitigate overall utility costs by improving efficiency and cost distribution.
Lead with what it means for makers and artists:
The University of Michigan has sent a legal threat over water hookup to a proposed nuclear weapons research and AI data center. The Ypsilanti Community Utility Authority (YCUA) passed a 365-day moratorium on the delivery of water to hyperscale data centers in the area, citing environmental sustainability and long-term water use studies. The University argued that the moratorium was unlawful and discriminatory against data centers, claiming there were no documented utility or public health needs supporting it. YCUA leadership stated serving the university’s project would help mitigate overall utility costs by improving efficiency and cost distribution.
Originally published at 404media.co. Curated by AI Maestro.
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