OPINION: Buckeye State now Silicon Valley’s dump for energy-sapping data centers | Opinion

An opinion column in the Dayton Daily News highlights an ongoing effort by Ohioans to halt the construction of new data centers across the state. The initiative seeks to place a constitutional amendment on the November ballot that would ban these facilities, which critics argue consume vast amounts of power and water while offering relatively few jobs. According to the Ohio Environmental Council, data centers in Ohio received approximately $2.5 billion in state and local tax incentives between 2017 and 2024. The article notes that U.S. data centers used an estimated 176 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2023, more than the entire state of New Jersey, with projections for this demand to significantly increase by 2028. Hyperscale data centers can also use millions of gallons of water daily. The proposed ban faces significant challenges, including a difficult process for amending Ohio's constitution, the immense political influence of 'Big Data' companies, and a July 1 deadline to collect 418,487 valid voter signatures from at least 44 of Ohio's 88 counties. The author, Thomas Suddes, draws parallels to historical exploitation of rural Ohio and urges voters to unite against powerful interests. Furthermore, the article ties the issue of rural data centers to concerns about electricity rates, warning that the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio must ensure that the substantial costs of power plants needed to supply these facilities are not covertly passed on to residential electricity customers. The column concludes by emphasizing the potential financial boon for out-of-state data center owners compared to the costs borne by Ohioans.