Brown: Locals should decide on data centers
Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Sherrod Brown voiced concerns over data center development in Ohio, advocating for local decision-making power. He highlighted environmental and utility rate impacts, referencing moratoriums in Lawrence County and a proposed mega-data center near Piketon. Brown criticized the lack of local input and rising costs associated with these projects.
U.S. Senate Democratic nominee Sherrod Brown made data center development a key issue during his campaign stop in Ironton, Ohio. Brown criticized the current approach to data center projects, emphasizing that local communities should have the primary say in such developments, rather than "out-of-state rich people" or political appointees like Republican incumbent Jon Husted. He highlighted public concerns regarding the environmental impact and rising utility rates caused by these facilities.
Brown specifically cited that Lawrence County, Ohio, has seen multiple municipalities enact moratoriums on data center construction due to these concerns. He also referenced the proposed 10-gigawatt data center, billed as the world's largest, near the Village of Piketon in southern Ohio, which would include a natural gas power plant and was announced under the Trump administration. Brown argued that decisions on such projects should be made by residents of Lawrence, Scioto, and Pike counties, who would directly bear the consequences on water quality and electric bills. The general election in Ohio is scheduled for November 3.