Data centers prominent in governor race
Data center policy has become a key issue in Ohio's gubernatorial race, with candidates Dr. Amy Acton and Vivek Ramaswamy proposing different regulatory approaches. Both candidates acknowledge concerns over electricity and water consumption, environmental impact, and the economic burden on residents, advocating for stronger regulations or pauses on new construction. Their platforms aim to ensure Ohioans benefit from data center development rather than bearing its costs.
Ohio's data center expansion has become a central issue in the state's gubernatorial race, with candidates Dr. Amy Acton and Vivek Ramaswamy both advocating for stronger regulations. The Office of the Ohio Consumers
Counsel reports that while data centers bring economic activity and construction jobs, they consume vast amounts of water and electricity, generate noise, and contribute to environmental complaints, with few permanent jobs. This has led to concerns about Ohio residents bearing higher utility costs.
Democratic candidate Dr. Amy Acton, a Youngstown native, proposes a conditional pause on data center construction in Ohio. Her platform emphasizes pushing the costs of development, including water and electricity, onto data center companies. She also seeks to prioritize energy-efficient options, protect air and water quality, and build unions for Ohioan workers in data centers, directing new projects to industrialized sites rather than suburbs or farmland.
Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, running for governor, proposes an "Ohioans-first data center pledge." While denying he is "pro-data center," he intends to issue an executive order on his first day in office to pause new data center projects until three core requirements are enshrined in Ohio law: free electricity for families near data centers, elimination of property taxes for homeowners, and environmental preservation. He believes "hyper-scalers" would cover the costs, leveraging his business acumen.
Both candidates acknowledge the economic challenges, such as the massive investment required for the electrical grid, and disagree on who should bear these costs
Ohio homeowners or tech companies. They seek to balance economic growth with resident benefits, though their approaches differ on the pace of development and the mechanisms for ensuring Ohioans benefit from data center presence.