'We're not for sale': Americans want to pump brakes on data centers
Voters in Piqua, Ohio, approved a ban on data centers larger than 25 megawatts, putting Meta's planned $1 billion-plus project at risk despite its prior approval. Residents in Ottawa, Kansas, and Janesville, Wisconsin, also backed bans or restrictions, citing environmental, infrastructure and quality-of-life concerns.
Voters in communities across the United States approved measures restricting or banning large data centers during the midterm elections. In Piqua, Ohio, two-thirds of voters supported a ban on facilities exceeding 25 megawatts, jeopardizing Meta's planned data center, which had already received approval and was valued at more than $1 billion. Grassroots organizer Alisha Lange and the group Save Piqua led the campaign, arguing that the project would create relatively few permanent jobs while consuming community resources.
Residents in Ottawa, Kansas, also approved a ban, while Janesville, Wisconsin, voters backed new restrictions after the city council rejected an $8 billion Viridian proposal for a former General Motors site. Janesville had already adopted a one-year moratorium, and future large-scale projects at the site must now receive voter approval. Supporters cited infrastructure, tax, environmental and quality-of-life impacts, while emphasizing that residents wanted greater transparency and control over development decisions.