Local Politics
Ohio Data Center Opposition Spans Ballot Initiatives, Senate Race
Volunteer group Conserve Ohio is behind ballot initiatives in 10 communities this fall to ban large-scale data centers used to power AI, while collecting signatures for a statewide ban targeted at the 2027 ballot. The issue features prominently in Ohio's tight U.S. Senate race between Democrat Sherrod Brown and Republican Jon Husted, with both calling for greater accountability but neither backing a moratorium. In Mount Orab, a village east of Cincinnati, residents oppose a proposed data center on 1,000 acres of farmland sold to a developer, citing noise, pollution, and rising electricity costs. Construction at the Mount Orab site has not begun, and residents report being bound by nondisclosure agreements.