Issues of the Environment: Economic and community benefit part of the Washtenaw County data center debate

Issues of the Environment: Economic and community benefit part of the Washtenaw County data center debate

April 29, 2026 · 11 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the economic and community benefits of data centers in Washtenaw County amidst environmental concerns.

Environmental concerns continue to surround data centers, and there are a number either approved or planned in Washtenaw County. Supporters of these centers contend there are ways to ensure environmental health while improving the local economy. We’ve explored environmental concerns on WEMU’s "Issues of the Environment." This time around, we’ll get a business perspective on it. Phil Santer is Chief Operating Officer for Ann Arbor SPARK, and he joined WEMU's David Fair to discuss the economics of these data centers.

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