MEMO: On Energy Costs, Pollution & AI Data Centers, Michigan Republicans Are Trump/Vance Rubberstamps 

TO: Interested Parties

FROM: Climate Power – Tom Lenard, Michigan Director 

DATE: August 27, 2026

RE: On Energy Costs, Pollution & AI Data Centers, Michigan Republicans Are Trump/Vance Rubberstamps 

As Vice-President JD Vance is set to arrive Monday morning at a campaign fundraiser in Michigan with the statewide Republican ticket, some tough questions need to be asked of these candidates – do you stand with Vance and Trump on encouraging the massive buildout of data centers, or do you stand with Michigan families? While polling has led some Michigan Republicans to abruptly reverse course and posture as AI data center opponents, their record is clear: Michigan Congressional Republicans gave massive tax breaks to the AI industry in Trump’s signature budget bill of 2025 while also gutting investment in cheaper, home-grown clean energy at a time when America’s energy needs are skyrocketing. In fact they keep attempting to take away cleaner, cheaper energy options when we can least afford it.

Congressional House Republicans also rammed through the SPEED Act, a bill backed by trillion-dollar tech companies that allows them to rush through data centers regardless of local concerns. And they have been silent as Trump has used his Justice Department and EPA as a strike team to silence and crush local opposition to data centers over massive pollution.

The result has been Econ 101, and has proven who these Republicans actually care about: cutting our energy supply while accelerating massive energy demand from data centers has meant skyrocketing utility bills for all of us.

No matter what Michigan Republicans say now as they panic at bad poll numbers, as soon as the election passes they will use their office for the same thing they always do: rubber-stamping Trump’s attacks on clean energy and his blank checks for data centers.

Boosting AI Energy Demand: The federal Republican budget bill provided tax breaks that benefited trillion-dollar tech companies, including tax breaks for research and development and the immediate expensing of data center infrastructure. House Republicans’ SPEED Act was “designed to accelerate construction of new AI infrastructure projects like data centers” by dramatically shortening and limiting opportunities for local communities to object to permits. In fact, in the original House Republican version of the 2025 budget bill, they voted virtually unanimously to block almost all state laws looking to put guardrails on AI or data centers.

“The Big Beautiful Bill may have just quietly boosted Big Tech earnings,” Business Insider, 7/9/25

“Four Big Tech Companies Avoid $51 Billion in Taxes in Wake of One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” ITEP, 2/6/26

“Bill to ease Big Tech project permits advances in House,” CNBC, 12/16/25

“Almost Every House Republican Voted To Block State and Local Governments’ Ability To Protect Residents From AI Data Centers,” Center for American Progress, 8/24/2026

Cutting Clean Energy Supply: The federal Republican budget bill took a “sledgehammer” to America’s clean energy industries, just as they were dramatically expanding and just when America needed them to meet exponential growth in energy demand. Indeed, for the past two years, more than 90% of new energy capacity in the United States has come from wind, solar, and batteries – exactly the industries that Trump and Republicans in Congress targeted in their budget bill.

• “Trump Slams the Brakes on US Wind and Solar Growth,” Bloomberg, 7/22/25
• “How much Trump’s ‘big beautiful’ bill could raise electricity costs over the next 10 years, by state,” CNBC, 7/14/25
• “How cancelled clean energy projects are costing Michigan – and what happens next,” Planet Detroit, 3/4/26

Skyrocketing Utility Bills: The result of this surge in demand and cratering of supply has been devastating in every corner of the country, with 49 of 50 states seeing rate hikes. Nationwide, utility bills have spiked as high as 18% compared to when Trump took office, several times more than the overall rate of inflation. In Michigan they are up 24% since January of 2025 under the watch of Trump and Michigan Republicans. Michigan consumers are also stuck with a more than $260 million tab – so far – from the Trump administration forcing the continued use of the J.H. Campbell coal plant in West Michigan. That results in more than $642,000 per day in added costs for dirty coal that also destroys our air and water.

• “Trump’s 18-Month Deadline To Cut Electricity Prices in Half Has Arrived. Rates Are Up 18%,” Reason, 7/20/26
• “Economic, Consumer Cost, and Pollution Impacts of Federal Energy Policy Changes,” Energy Innovation, 7/8/26
• Feds keep coal burning at Michigan power plant as costs surge to $260 million,” MLive, 8/17/26

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