As political pressure mounts, Ohio’s data centers buy $10,000 in ads and lobby up
Data center companies in Ohio, including Google, Meta, and Amazon, have significantly increased lobbying efforts and spent over $10,000 on ads as political pressure mounts over tax breaks. Governor Mike DeWine announced a temporary pause on new tax credits after discovering the exemption cost the state $1.6 billion in 2025, far exceeding forecasts. A new legislative committee has been formed to review the issue and propose legislation.
The data center industry in Ohio has escalated its lobbying and public relations activities in response to increasing political and public scrutiny. The Data Center Coalition, a trade association, along with individual members like Google, Meta, Amazon, QTS, CyrusOne, Vantage, and Aligned Data Centers, has collectively hired at least 51 lobbyists at the statehouse. Notably, Google has 19 registered agents and Meta has 14.
Simultaneously, the Data Center Coalition's national arm launched a nonprofit, Connected Ohio, which has spent over $10,000 on Facebook ads since May 23. These ads promote the economic benefits of data centers, citing 84,000 jobs and billions in tax revenue. Josh Levi, president of the Data Center Coalition, stated that Connected Ohio aims to educate Ohioans and policymakers about the industry's statewide and local benefits.
This increased activity follows Governor Mike DeWine's announcement of a temporary, limited pause on new data center sales tax exemptions. The decision came after the Ohio Department of Taxation revealed that the exemption would cost the state $1.6 billion in revenue in 2025, significantly higher than initial forecasts. This pause will remain until the General Assembly's newly formed "Select Committee on Data Centers" issues a report or proposed legislation. Companies like Cologix were still awarded a new break just before the moratorium.
Lobbying efforts have involved numerous firms and politically connected figures, including Michael Hall, former chief of staff to Gov. DeWine, now lobbying for Amazon; Spencer Gross of High Bridge Consulting, whose partner is chief of staff to House Speaker Matt Huffman, lobbying for Google; and Brenton Temple, Gov. DeWine's 2022 re-election campaign manager, hired by Aligned Data Centers. These efforts reflect a standard political playbook adopted by the industry amidst its substantial investments in Ohio, with Google investing over $20 billion and Amazon expecting to reach $23 billion by 2030.