Data center ban won’t be on fall ballot
Conserve Ohio's proposed constitutional amendment to ban most new data centers in Ohio will not appear on the November ballot this year due to a missed signature deadline. The grassroots organization, which seeks to prohibit data centers with a peak load over 25 megawatts per month, aims to get the initiative on the 2027 ballot and continues its signature collection efforts. More than a dozen Ohio cities have already enacted temporary moratoriums on data centers, and state lawmakers are considering House Bill 646, which would reduce sales tax breaks for new data centers.
Conserve Ohio, a grassroots organization, announced that its proposed constitutional amendment to ban most new data centers will not be on Ohio's November election ballot this year. The group, which aims to prohibit data centers exceeding 25 megawatts per month, missed the July 1 deadline to collect the necessary 413,000 signatures from at least 44 of Ohio's 88 counties. Despite collecting over 70,000 signatures by June 18, primarily in Lucas, Stark, and Butler counties, Conserve Ohio did not submit them to the Ohio Secretary of State and plans to target the 2027 ballot, vowing to continue its volunteer-led signature gathering.
The proposed amendment is part of a broader movement in Ohio, where more than a dozen cities have already enacted temporary data center moratoriums. While state lawmakers have not yet passed specific data center legislation, Ohio House Bill 646, if passed, would reduce sales tax breaks for new data centers from 100 percent to 50 percent, though it would not impact existing contracts with companies like Meta, Google, and Amazon.
The article highlights concerns regarding data center impact, noting that Ohio, with over 200 data centers, ranks sixth nationally in data center density. It cites the Office of Ohio Consumers
Counsel's estimate that large data centers can use as much electricity as 100,000 homes, with U.S. data center electricity consumption projected to rise significantly by 2030. Water usage is also a concern, though a data center slated for Van Wert is mentioned as using a more efficient closed-loop system. Efforts to introduce temporary bans on data centers are also underway in at least 14 other states.