Editorial: Ohio voters could decide future of data centers there

An editorial from herald-dispatch.com highlights that Ohio voters might soon have a direct say in the future of large-scale data center development, a mechanism not available to voters in West Virginia. While West Virginia's state government, including Gov. Patrick Morrisey and the Legislature, largely supports hyperscale data centers, Ohio's initiative and referendum processes empower citizens to propose constitutional amendments or overturn legislative acts. The Ohio Ballot Board has approved the language for a constitutional amendment that seeks to prohibit the construction of data centers requiring more than 25 megawatts of electricity. This threshold is far below the gigawatt-scale power demands of projects like the Ports Technology Campus in Piketon, Ohio, and the planned Monarch Compute Campus in Mason County, West Virginia. Developers for these massive facilities assert they will establish their own power generation and transmission, thereby avoiding increased utility costs for residential and commercial users, a claim met with skepticism by opponents. Ohio Residents for Responsible Development, an advocacy group, is currently working to gather the necessary 413,488 valid signatures from at least 44 of Ohio's 88 counties by July 1 to secure a spot for the amendment on the November general election ballot. The editorial suggests that the success of this voter-led initiative will be a critical factor in determining Ohio's approach to data center growth, urging West Virginia officials to observe these developments closely.