With some of the highest electricity rates in the Midwest, Ohio has seen a remarkable policy shift from lawmakers in both parties. Every candidate for governor has now called for restrictions on the data center boom, each proposing some form of moratorium unless certain conditions are met.
Both U.S. Senate candidates have turned sharply critical of the industry. And the state’s highest court just ruled that local governments can’t fast-track new data centers without providing specific reasons — giving teeth to referendum drives in small towns where residents are trying to block project approvals.
