Matt Rine, from Traverse City, has been working on a proposal for a data center, natural gas power plant and carbon sequestration facility to capture carbon emissions underground.
The project is still just an idea, and Rine set out to collect community feedback through forums this week. But most in attendance on Monday at the Garfield Township Hall in Fife Lake spoke out against the project.
Earlier coverage
Kalkaska considers data center development. Read the story.
Related
New laws encourage data centers to come to Michigan; environmental groups raise concerns. Read the story.
One member of the crowd said he can hear DTE Energy's Kalkaska compresser facility at his house miles away.
“This is where we all live. In the middle of the night, if you walk outside, you can hear that facility, and we're probably five miles away as the crow flies from there. And that's my only concern is it's a bunch of lip service,” he said. “You're an educated man and you seem like a nice guy … but I don't trust any of it.”
Those leading the meeting passed out a flyer about the proposal, and some in the audience passed out flyers about the environmental harms of data centers.
Rine is not rushing to get approval for this project. He doesn't have any data center developers or technology companies involved yet. But he believes the demand for data centers isn’t going anywhere.
“It's your phone apps, banking, maps, video streaming, stuff that everyone uses every day, social media,” Rine told IPR. “I don't see anybody slowing down their use of those things.”
According to his calculations, a data center could bring $30 million in local tax revenue to Kalkaska every year.
“If we design it carefully, it really could be a transformational project for Kalkaska,” he told the crowd.
DNR land use
One point of contention throughout the meeting was the potential use of state-owned land managed by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
“In Michigan, we all prioritize our wildlife, our forests, our lakes, our freshwater. That’s sort of Michigan’s pride,” said Willow Lund, 17, from Kalkaska. “What are our other land options other than pulling down a forest?”
State Sen. Jon Bumstead (R-Newaygo) was in the front row at the forum.
“I can probably ease a lot of folks' minds,” he said. “The DNR does not plan on selling or leasing any of that land over there. They also have support from the local state reps, Borton, Roth and Senator Hoitenga and myself.”
State Rep. Ken Borton (R-Gaylord) recently reposted an article on social media about the proposed Kalkaska data center on state land with the message: “Not on my watch!”
State Sen. Michele Hoitenga (R-Cadillac) wrote in a statement, “I stand with the voices of the people in firm opposition of this project. I’m confident that our northern Michigan communities can attract businesses that not only bolster our local economies but also align more closely with our values, prioritizing the preservation of our land and way of life.”
Rine told IPR that he'd initially hoped for a DNR land swap, but the message came through clearly that there was widespread opposition to using public land and that he was exploring private land options.
“I think going forward this week, the goal is really to take the DNR land off the table and distill it down to, what are the concerns regarding a data center with a power plant?”
‘I’ll keep coming to these’
Rine is proposing a "closed-loop system" that re-uses water to cool down data centers. But Kalkaska resident Ryan Harper had concerns about the effects on the local ecosystem.
“You're going to be cooling it with the ground, and you're right next to the Boardman River. I'm an avid fisherman,” Harper said, and water temperature affects the fish. “How much is that going to increase the temperature of the ground, the groundwater, and the springs that are feeding into keeping [the Boardman River] cool?”
Rine said he would return with geological models that show how the heat would travel.
After the forum, Rine told IPR, “there was a lot of loud opposition there, but after the fact, people came up that were supportive.”
“It's just going to take time to figure out, is it 5% of people that feel that way in the meeting last night, or is that 90% of people?” he said. “I don't think one informational session is going to dictate whether this is a good idea or not.”
“Nothing has been pulled, nothing has been agreed, no handshakes have been made, no signatures have been put anywhere,” said Eric Lloyd, who manages public relations for Rine’s company, at one point during the forum.
“We wanted to have an open conversation,” added Rine.
“We’re gonna fight like hell, so y'all should stop. It's gonna be expensive,” replied one member of the crowd. “I’ll keep coming to these.”
Community Q&As continue this week on Wednesday at noon in Kalkaska and Thursday at 5:30p.m. in Mancelona.
