Candidates Highlight Data Center Plans. Next Ohio Governor Will Select Regulators
Ohio's two gubernatorial candidates have proposed conflicting plans regarding data center development, making it a significant election issue. Democratic candidate Dr. Amy Acton supports a conditional moratorium based on various requirements, while Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy proposes community benefits and strict environmental standards. The next governor will appoint key utility regulators who will influence data center operations in the state.
Ohio's gubernatorial race features contrasting visions for the state's burgeoning data center industry, which has become a contentious election issue. Democratic candidate Dr. Amy Acton announced a conditional moratorium on data centers, stating it would be implemented if requirements concerning costs, union labor, transparency, environmental standards, community benefit agreements, and development are not met. Innovation Ohio, a progressive advocacy group, praised Acton's proposal, emphasizing the need for data centers to cover their electricity costs, protect the environment and water resources, and ensure fair labor practices.
Conversely, Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy unveiled a three-part plan, promising communities hosting data centers free home electricity, lower property taxes, and strict adherence to air and water quality standards, along with protection for Ohio's farmland. He asserted that data centers would not be built if any of these conditions are unmet. Innovation Ohio President Michael McGovern dismissed Ramaswamy's plan as "utter nonsense" lacking policy research and substance, highlighting Ramaswamy's previous support for AI data centers in Ohio and his financial ties to companies in the data center and AI chip sectors.
The next Ohio governor will be responsible for appointing the five members of the Public Utilities Commission, which is tasked with setting utility rates and defining operational parameters for data centers statewide. As Ohio, with over 200 data centers, faces projected increases in residential electric bills, lawmakers at the Ohio Statehouse have yet to pass any related legislation. Meanwhile, the grassroots organization Conserve Ohio is gathering signatures for a proposed constitutional amendment to ban new data centers, aiming for the 2027 ballot.