From Mother Jones · Dan Gearino · · 2m
Ohio’s Data Center Backlash
Ohioans fight Amazon’s 1.3-gigawatt data center with local bans and a 2027 ballot measure.
In brief
Ohioans fight Amazon’s 1.3-gigawatt data center with local bans and a 2027 ballot measure. Ohio residents oppose a proposed Amazon data center through local bans and a statewide ballot measure for a moratorium, aiming to protect water and biodiversity by 2027. Originally reported by Mother Jones.
Ohioans oppose data centers
Residents demand local bans and moratoria on data centers as concerns grow over water, air, and biodiversity.
“Especially on America’s 250th anniversary it’s your job to make sure there’s life for another 250”
Data center backlash intensifies
A four-hour legislative committee hearing in June showed growing anger and applause among Ohioans worried about unchecked data center development.
Local opposition leads push
Nikki Gerber, a tourism guide in Adams County, leads efforts to block Amazon’s proposed 1.3-gigawatt data center near her campground.
Biodiversity and water concerns
Gerber worries the data center could lower water levels and harm local biodiversity in Adams County’s brush creek area.
Statewide campaign grows
Conserve Ohio, a group with rural Ohio leaders, is collecting 140,000 signatures for a statewide data center moratorium ballot measure by 2027.
Local government resistance
Austin Baurichter, a lawyer in Brown County, left his law firm to fight data center projects and support local opposition efforts.
State committee on data centers
Ohio created a Select Committee on Data Centers to address concerns about data center development and its impact on communities.
Amazon defends water use
Amazon claims its data centers use less water than a few car washes annually, countering local water concerns.
“An Amazon data center ‘uses less water than a few car washes do annually’”
Statewide ballot measure
Ohio has 21 local ballot measures on data center restrictions, with 10 communities voting next month on local bans.
Political candidates differ
Democratic candidate Amy Acton and Republican Vivek Ramaswamy both support a moratorium but differ on implementation and protections.
Federal data center project
The federal government owns Ports Technology Campus, a 10,000-megawatt data center near Adams and Brown counties.
Drought and water concerns
Gerber notes unusually low water levels in Ohio Brush Creek, raising fears about data center impacts on local water resources.
Campaign progress
Conserve Ohio has collected 140,000 signatures for a statewide moratorium, but the earliest vote is 2027.
Public support for opposition
75 percent of Ohio residents oppose data center construction in their communities, with 63 percent opposing projects statewide.
What happens next
If opponents win, Ohio could set a national precedent for data center regulation by 2027.
What matters most
Ohio residents oppose a proposed Amazon data center through local bans and a statewide ballot measure for a moratorium, aiming to protect water and biodiversity by 2027.
