About seven in 10 Americans don't want data centers built near them, according to a recent Gallup poll.About half of them are strongly opposed to the sprawling AI-enabling structures.
People are increasingly
wary of artificial intelligence intruding into their lives, their jobs and neighborhoods.
And those concerns have manifested onto the ballots in the fall general election across Ohio.
Ohio is one of the nation's top five states for operating data centers, according to a Pew Research Center study. And the investment is not stopping anytime soon. For example, there are plans for a roughly half-trillion-dollar complex in southern Ohio that would be the biggest complex in the country, complete with its own natural gas power generation.
Even as an estimated one of every six people globally regularly use AI for personal and workplace information and with promises of what President Donald Trump now calls "super intelligence" to solve societal ills, cure illness and develop new innovations; the large majority of the population remains suspicious. And angry. Enough so to take their unease with hyperscale data centers to the ballot.
Many nationally are even looking at the Ohio race between Republican Sen. Jon Husted and former Democratic senator Sherrod Brown as a referendum on the data center issue with Brown working to portray Husted as the face of the industry.
The industry has pushed back with a concerted public effort to support the ongoing growth of the technology in Ohio.
"Ohio’s data centers are the heartbeat of our modern lives, connecting people, enabling essential services like healthcare, education, and public safety, and driving innovations in all sectors of our economy," says Connected Ohio, founded by the Data Center Coalition.
On Nov. 3, at least 18 municipalities and townships across Ohio will vote on issues related to data centers, and Conserve Ohio is finalizing a ballot initiative for a statewide ban on large data centers next year.
In Ashville, a Pickaway County village of 5,000, EdgeConneX wants to build an 800 megawatts data center on 195 acres. A referendum aims to halt, or stall, progress. Bert Cline, village administrator, doesn't understand the opposition.
"I honestly believe they think if they vote it down, it's going to go away," said Cline. "But [the developers] have been working every day on this. Just the land was $15 million. And buildings are being erected. Do you think they're going to just walk away?"
Teays Valley Local Schools is guaranteed $77.4 million upfront upon occupancy of the data center building, Cline said. Another $3 million in property taxes goes to the village. And schools get another $5 million for operations for the first three years. The guarantees depend on Ohio Power Siting Board approval of the power plant.
The fear of supporting data centers is silencing support about their value, Cline believes.
"Everyone is so scared of this topic that nobody's willing to throw their hats into the ring," he said of politicians.
"But it takes revenue to run a village and run schools. If this [data center revenue] takes away the potential tax burden, I think it would be a better situation. If we don't get money I don't want to be here ... it's on the heads of the naysayers. Hopefully next time they vote for the levies for the schools and village."
Central Ohio data center ballot issues
Some of the issues in Central Ohio include:
Ashville, Referendum to affirm or reverse village council’s terms guiding negotiations with EdgeConneX over two data center buildings and and a natural gas powered plant to operate it, pending validation by Pickaway County Board of Elections.
Granville, Charter amendment Jan. 5 to ban data centers larger than 25 megawatts.
Grove City, Adopted a 12-month moratorium on data centers June 1, that restricts "the “establishment, development, processing, review and approval” of data centers for a year while their impact is studied. Proposing charter amendment restrict any business that occupies more than 50 contiguous acres, uses more than 20 megawatts of power or 500,000 gallons of water a day.
Pataskala, Charter amendment to ban data centers larger than 25 megawatts.
Sunbury, Charter amendment to ban data centers larger than 25 megawatts.
Urbana, Charter amendment to ban data centers that would use more than 7.5 megawatts of power.
Growth and development reporter Dean Narciso can be reached at dnarciso@dispatch.com
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: As data centers proliferate across Ohio, residents fight back with ballot issues
