Ohio U.S. Senate candidates offer contrasting visions for data centers
Ohio's U.S. Senate candidates, Jon Husted and Sherrod Brown, are debating the future of data centers in the state, offering contrasting visions for regulation, tax breaks, and local control. The discussion comes amidst growing public unpopularity and concerns over data center impacts on electricity and water usage. Advocacy groups are actively pushing for a statewide moratorium on new data center construction.
The Ohio U.S. Senate race sees incumbent Republican Jon Husted and Democratic nominee Sherrod Brown offering contrasting views on data center development, though neither fully supports a halt in construction.
Jon Husted, as former lieutenant governor, played a key role in attracting billions in data center investments to Ohio, supporting significant tax breaks for companies like Google, Amazon, and Meta. He defends these developments, citing job creation and an expanded tax base for rural communities, and introduced the federal Ratepayer Protection Act to encourage states to make data centers pay their full electricity costs, despite calling it a "local issue." Governor Mike DeWine has since paused applications for new state tax exemptions for data centers.
Sherrod Brown has criticized Husted's record on tax breaks, advocating for an end to subsidies and insisting data centers pay the full cost of electricity and safely process water. Brown also emphasizes the need for greater transparency and local community control over new projects, garnering support from construction unions who benefit from data center jobs.
Public sentiment, reflected in a Bowling Green State University poll, indicates 71% of Ohioans favor a temporary ban. Advocacy groups like Conserve Ohio are gathering signatures for a 2027 ballot initiative to enact a moratorium. Experts suggest that while federal legislation has limited power over utility rates, the bipartisan attention to "ratepayer protection" is encouraging. Concerns persist over increased electricity demand, potential involuntary outages from regional brokers like PJM Interconnection, and reliance on fossil fuels for new power plants, while Brown previously secured funding for water cooling technology development.