Ohio Residents Revolt Against AI-Fueled Data Center Expansion

Rural communities in southern Ohio are confronting proposals for massive data centers that could reshape local landscapes, strain water supplies, and increase electricity demand at a time when artificial intelligence is driving unprecedented infrastructure growth. The tension centers on whether state and local governments can regulate the projects fast enough to protect residents while capturing promised economic gains.

In Adams County, tourism operator Nikki Gerber is organizing against a planned 1.3-gigawatt Amazon Web Services facility roughly 15 miles from her campground along Ohio Brush Creek. She and others cite risks to water levels, air quality, and biodiversity in an area already experiencing drought and flooding cycles. Similar concerns have surfaced in neighboring Brown County, where attorney Austin Baurichter left a Cincinnati law firm to focus on public-records requests and local advocacy. The pair leads Conserve Ohio, which has gathered about 140,000 signatures toward a statewide moratorium that would require roughly 410,000 to reach the 2027 ballot.

A June legislative hearing drew applause and anger as residents from urban and rural areas pressed lawmakers for bans or pauses. The Select Committee on Data Centers has held five meetings to examine permitting, incentives, and consumer protections. Amazon Web Services energy policy head Craig Sundstrom told the panel that a typical facility uses less water annually than several car washes. Meta policy manager Thor Underdahl emphasized operational and economic commitments to host communities. State Rep. Adam Holmes, the committee’s Republican co-chair, described the influx of investment as overwhelming and noted that both Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton and Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy back some form of temporary halt.

Acton’s platform calls for ending state incentives and restricting locations. Ramaswamy has proposed free electricity for residents near approved projects alongside strict enforcement of clean-air and clean-water rules. A Bowling Green State University poll found 75 percent of Ohioans oppose new data centers in their own communities. Columbus and New Albany have already become major hubs, with Cushman & Wakefield ranking the region third nationally behind Virginia and Oregon markets.

The largest proposed site, Ports Technology Campus in Pike County, would require 10,000 megawatts and is being developed on federally owned land with SoftBank and OpenAI involvement. A natural-gas plant would supply most of the power. Local opposition there remains limited despite the scale. Industry analyst Michael Thomas of Cleanview noted Ohio’s historically low power costs and permissive permitting as attractions for developers.

Resistance is appearing in at least seven states with roughly 40 local ballot measures this cycle, according to Ballotpedia. Ohio accounts for 21 of them. Conserve Ohio is advising activists elsewhere while focusing on signature collection that missed the November deadline.