Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton wants to block any new data centers that don't meet certain criteria, including covering their own utility costs.
On July 27, Acton proposed a "conditional moratorium" on new data centers if they don't meet requirements, such as covering their own gas, water and electricity bills; using union labor exclusively to build and maintain structures; building in former industrial areas known as brownfields instead of farms or in the middle of communities; and not using non-disclosure agreements.
“Costs are too high, and Ohio families and businesses need protection from data centers driving up costs. Ohio is open for business, but we are not up for sale. If you do not meet these conditions, we do not want you in Ohio,"
Acton said in a statement.
Acton's pitch, which expands on her past comments, comes as Ohioans are increasingly frustrated with data centers. An April poll from Bowling Green University found most Ohioans would favor a ban on data centers and believe they're bad for the environment, energy costs and the quality of life of those living nearby.
An effort to ban nearly all data centers is aiming for the 2027 ballot.
Acton's list doesn't mention Ohio's much-debated tax breaks for data centers. However, Acton has said that she would "fight to rein in Ohio's out-of-control long-term tax incentives and add clawback provisions and needed transparency."
Efforts to rein in tax breaks have been hamstrung by a deal made during former Gov. John Kasich's administration. Kasich officials offered a 100% tax break for up to 40 years to 18 companies, including Meta, Google and Amazon, in exchange for an $8 billion investment.
Other criteria are being pitched by Democrats and Republicans alike. Republicans, including Acton's opponent Vivek Ramaswamy and President Donald Trump, have called for data centers to pay for their own utilities.
It's also not clear what percentage of data center construction is already handled by union workers statewide. A Columbus/Central Ohio Building Trades Council leader estimated 93% of hours worked on data centers are done by union members,according to a Columbus Dispatch report.
What would Ramaswamy do about data centers?
Republican gubernatorial candidate Ramaswamy has said on the campaign trail that data centers should pay for their own utilities. "If you're going to use energy, pay for your own energy rather than passing the bill onto the consumer," Ramaswamy said in June in New Philadelphia.
That's a position backed by Democrats and Republicans alike. On July 23, Gov. Mike DeWine and 22 other governors signed offon Trump's Ratepayer Protection Pledge, which urges companies to shoulder the cost of powering data centers.
Ramaswamy has also said it would be a "terrible idea" to ban all data centers.
"We will do economic development in a way that brings high-paying jobs to the state on the terms of local communities," Ramaswamy said at a Turning Point USA event at Ohio State University. "Can we do both of those things at the same time? You're darn right we can."
A Ramaswamy spokesperson said the GOP gubernatorial candidate has been answering questions about data centers for months.
“Vivek has spent more than a year taking tough questions from Ohioans on this issue, while Amy Acton has spent months in hiding," Ramaswamy spokesman Evan Machan said. "She finally spoke up, only to parrot ideas Vivek has shared for months and pretend it’s new. Let’s see if the media falls for it."
Making data centers a campaign issue
Acton's proposal comes after Democratic Senate candidate Sherrod Brown launched an ad calling GOP Sen. Jon Husted the "face of data centers."
As lieutenant governor, Husted praised Google's plan to build data centers in Ohio. Now as senator, he's backed requiring data center companies to fund their own power.
Candidates are talking about data centers more and more on the campaign trail with fewer than 100 days left before the election.
State bureau reporter Haley BeMiller contributed to this report.
State government reporter Jessie Balmert can be reached at jbalmert@usatodayco.com or @jbalmert on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Amy Acton says new data centers must pay for utilities, use union labor
