“`html
University Claims Withholding Water From Nuclear Weapons Data Center Is ‘Unlawfully Discriminatory’
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.
The University hand delivered and emailed a legal threat to the YCUA on April 21, the day before it was to vote. According to a copy of the letter obtained by 404 Media, the university feels the moratorium is “unlawfully discriminatory” against data centers and it promised to pursue “all rights and claims for relief” if its demands weren’t met.
Luther Blackburn, YCUA’s executive director, told 404 Media that he had received a legal communication from the university. He confirmed that YCUA staff were working on a Request for Proposal to complete the investigations and studies outlined in the moratorium. He believed YCUA had acted lawfully and in accordance with industry best practices by issuing the moratorium.
The University disagreed, arguing that the courts would not be on Ypsilanti’s side. It claimed that there was plenty of water available and argued that adding the data center as a customer would help mitigate overall costs by improving efficiency and cost distribution.
The letter quoted Blackburn stating that the proposed use of 200,000 gallons a day were within YCUA’s 8-10 million gallon per day capacity. It also stated that YCUA leadership had publicly stated that serving the University’s project would not affect their ability to provide or treat water.
The letter further argued that the moratorium was discriminatory, singling out “data centers” by label rather than by utility impact. The University requested that YCUA refuse to issue any sector-specific moratorium and base service decisions on documented utility factors applied evenhandedly through existing permitting and technical review processes.
After saying it was illegal for the Ypsilanti community not to give it water, the University claimed the moratorium discriminated against data centers. The letter stated that it was discriminatory to permit other users to connect and consume currently available capacity while conducting undefined studies to determine if there was sufficient capacity for the University’s proposed facility.
The University of Michigan did not return 404 Media’s request for comment.
Ypsilanti Township has been fighting the proposed data center for over a year. Data centers are widely unpopular in the United States, often causing noise pollution and affecting water quality for their neighbors. Local opposition to the Ypsilanti Township data center has been compounded by its connection to America’s nuclear weapons industry.
Key Takeaways
- The University of Michigan is threatening legal action over a yearlong pause preventing water hookup to a proposed nuclear weapons research and AI data center in Ypsilanti Township.
- The Ypsilanti Community Utility Authority (YCUA) has issued a 365-day moratorium on the delivery of water to hyperscale data centers, citing environmental studies.
- Both sides argue over whether the moratorium is discriminatory and legally valid, with the University claiming it’s against its rights as a utility user.
- The University demands that YCUA base service decisions on documented utility factors rather than conducting undefined studies.
“`
Originally published at 404media.co. Curated by AI Maestro.
Stay ahead of AI. Get the most important stories delivered to your inbox — no spam, no noise.