Policy group argues against data center moratorium, pushes transparency

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(The Center Square) – Ohio should not pull the plug on data centers just yet, a non-profit policy group argues in a new policy paper.

A better solution, according to The Buckeye Institute, is to make sure data centers cover all the costs they impose to taxpayers.

“While Ohio policymakers should not dismiss legitimate public concerns about data centers, they should reject moratoriums on their construction,” Aswin Prabhakar, an economic research analyst at non-profit organization, said in a statement. “A better approach would increase transparency, require data center developers to bear the risks and costs of their projects, ensure they pay all their local property taxes, and ensure government regulations address real problems while creating a fair process for project approval.”

Conserve Ohio, a group that wants to ban large centers in the state, disagrees.

“This all feels like building data centers is just a way for huge companies to buy massive amounts of land,” Andrew Guda, with the group Conserve Ohio, told the Center Square. “It drags us further way from renewable energy sources. I’m 33 and essentially my entire life, climate change has been talked about. Now it’s all out the window and we’re just talking about gas turbines, rushing to replace human workers with artificial intelligence, paving insane swatches of land.”

Data center’s locations and environmental concerns “should be handled through the same regulatory regime applied to other industries,” the Buckeye Institute said.”

“Noise and land use belong in clear local zoning rules. Water use, spills, wastewater, and other environmental risks should be regulated based on the activity and pollutants involved. If gaps appear in Ohio’s rules, the state should fill the gaps across all industries, not only data centers. Similarly, Ohio should tax data centers like other industrial businesses, requiring them to pay ordinary property taxes that support local services and infrastructure.”

There are currently 240 data centers in Ohio, 4,757 in the United States, according to Data Center Map, which tracks the industry.

Texas has the most of any state at 537, according to Data Center Map.