RESIDENTS AREN'T POWERLESS

HOW TO FIGHT THIS

No Data Centers signage in front of resident home

Because “nothing can be done” is the lie that keeps this moving.

Let’s be clear about one thing up front.

This project is not inevitable.
It is not finished.
And residents are not powerless.

What is happening is a familiar pattern: a massive hyperscale industrial project is being pushed forward quickly, wrapped in technical language, broken into pieces, and presented as routine so people feel overwhelmed, confused, or resigned.

That’s the window they rely on.

This page exists to close that window.

Below are concrete, proven ways residents can slow this project, force scrutiny, and raise the political and procedural cost of continuing as if everything is fine. None of this requires expertise. It requires persistence, numbers, and clarity.

FIRST, UNDERSTAND WHERE PRESSURE ACTUALLY WORKS

Developers do not fear Facebook posts.
They do not fear polite disappointment.

They do respond to:

regulatory risk
legal exposure
bad records
delayed permits
unresolved environmental questions
sustained public scrutiny

Your goal is not to “be heard.”
Your goal is to create friction.

Friction slows timelines.
Delays change financing.
Scrutiny makes approvals harder to defend.

That is how projects die.

CONTACT THE PEOPLE WHO CAN ACTUALLY STOP OR SLOW THIS

LOCAL TOWNSHIP CONTACT INFO

Township Officials
These people are legally obligated to respond and their responses become part of the public record.

Township Board

Planning Commission
Public comments matter here more than anywhere else.

Lyon Township General Contact Information

58000 Grand River Avenue
New Hudson, MI 48165

https://www.lyontwp.org

Phone: 248-437-2240
Fax: 248-437-2336

Mondays through Thursdays
7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

When contacting them:

Be specific
Reference Project Flex by name
Ask for written responses
Ask for studies to be redone or paused
Do not rant. Do not speculate. Do not threaten.
Make them explain their decisions on paper.

Oakland County Government office exterior

Oakland County & State Agencies

Large projects trigger oversight well beyond the township.

Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE)

https://www.michigan.gov/egle

File concerns related to:

water withdrawals
discharge
cooling systems
cumulative environmental impacts

Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC)

https://www.michigan.gov/mpsc

Ask questions about:

power demand
substations
grid impacts
cost shifting to residents

These agencies exist specifically to review what townships wave through.

FILE COMPLAINTS EVEN IF NOTHING HAS STARTED YET

Paper trails matter.

Complaints filed early establish:

foreseeable harm
public awareness
agency notice

That matters later.

You can submit concerns regarding:

noise impacts
health impacts
environmental review adequacy
segmentation of approvals

Use calm language. Ask questions. Demand clarification.

USE FOIA. IT IS YOUR RIGHT.

Freedom of Information Act requests force transparency. They also slow processes

You can request:

communications between the township and the developer
communications with consultants
drafts of studies
meeting notes
emails referencing Project Flex
agreements, memorandums, or pre‑development discussions

Sample FOIA Request Template

"Under the Michigan Freedom of Information Act, I request copies of all records, including emails, memos, meeting notes, draft documents, and communications between Lyon Township and any representatives, consultants, or agents of Project Flex, including but not limited to noise studies, infrastructure planning, zoning interpretations, and development approvals, from January 1, 2023 to present."

Submit this to the Township Clerk.

They are required to respond.

Community Members speaking out at Township meeting

PUBLIC COMMENTS ARE NOT PERFORMATIVE IF DONE CORRECTLY

Public comments matter most when they:

introduce new issues
cite documents
challenge assumptions
request specific actions

Avoid:

emotional outbursts
speculation
personal attacks

Focus on:

scale
infrastructure
health impacts
procedural gaps

Sample Public Comment Language

"I am requesting that no further permits or approvals be issued until a revised, cumulative noise study is completed that includes baseline nighttime measurements, worst‑case operational scenarios, low‑frequency analysis, and enforceable mitigation commitments. Approving construction before these issues are addressed shifts all risk onto residents and exposes the township to avoidable legal and financial liability."

Short. Specific. On the record.

DEMAND STUDIES BE DONE CORRECTLY, NOT QUICKLY

You are allowed to demand:

worst‑case modeling
cumulative impacts
baseline measurements
enforceable mitigation
independent review

You are allowed to say:

“This study does not answer the question it claims to answer.”

You are allowed to insist:

“Approval should not precede analysis.”

That is not obstruction. That is governance.

Michigan township protesters gather to prevent data centers

THIS IS A NUMBERS GAME. TALK TO YOUR NEIGHBORS.

Most projects survive because:

people assume someone else is handling it
residents think they are alone
opposition is fragmented

Share this site.

Share documents.

Share templates.

Ten residents emailing once is noise.
Two hundred residents emailing every week is pressure.

CONTACT MEDIA. EVEN SMALL OUTLETS.

Local journalists care about:

secrecy
scale
process failures
resident health concerns

You do not need to accuse anyone of corruption.
You just need to say:

“This is much bigger than advertised, and residents are being asked to accept the consequences without full information.”

That’s a story.

REMEMBER WHAT THEY ARE COUNTING ON

They are counting on:

fatigue
confusion
deference to consultants
people assuming it’s already decided

It isn’t.

Every study can be challenged.
Every permit can be delayed.
Every approval can become politically expensive.

This only works if people stay engaged.

START HERE

If you do nothing else:

Email township officials
Submit one FOIA request
File one agency complaint
Speak once at a public meeting

That alone changes the trajectory.

This site exists so no one can say they didn’t know what to do.

Use it. Share it. Keep going.