Oscoda Township adopts ordinance regulating cryptocurrency mining and data centers in industrial district

The Oscoda Township Board voted unanimously May 11 to adopt an amendment to the township zoning ordinance that regulates cryptocurrency mining facilities and data centers, permitting those uses in the industrial district only by special land use permit.

The ordinance, described at the meeting as 'An Ordinance to Amend the Zoning Ordinance to Regulate Cryptocurrency Mining Facilities and Data Centers,' was approved after a motion by Ms. Fortner, supported by Mr. Linderman. The motion carried with four votes in favor and no dissent; board members Ms. Fortner, Ms. Tait (Clerk Heather Malo Tait), Mr. Linderman and Chair Mark Wygant recorded yeas.

Board members did not attach a specific effective date to the ordinance during the meeting; the minutes list no implementation timeline or effective date in the motion record (effective date: not specified). The ordinance requires a special land use permit for such facilities in the industrial district, meaning future proposals would return to the township for permit review and any applicable conditions.

During the meeting’s public comment period Dr. Calvin Maestro Jr raised concerns about water usage by data-mining centers and the relevance of closed-loop water systems to such facilities’ operations. The board did not take an immediate separate action on water-resource regulations beyond adopting the zoning amendment.

The ordinance vote was part of a larger meeting that also included project and budget actions. The township clerk will publish the adopted ordinance language and any next procedural steps in the official minutes and on the township website.