September 15, 2026

DATA CENTER ACCOUNTABILITY: ACTION FUND ADVANCES KEY LEGISLATION

By: Melanie Houston, Vice President of Programs

Data centers have become one of the defining natural resource issues facing Ohioans. Communities across the state are asking who will pay for the electricity, water, and grid upgrades these facilities require—and whether Ohio families will continue footing the bill. Ohioans near proposed data centers are also worried about air pollution, noise pollution, and their local waterways. We have been working to make sure we see statewide safeguards to protect Ohioans from this influx.

This past spring, our team spent months developing a Data Center briefing for lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. Alongside our partner, Alliance for the Great Lakes, we co-hosted a virtual briefing on May 18th. The session was attended by 37 lawmakers and staff, including many members of the General Assembly’s joint data center committee. Later that week, our VP of Government Affairs, Spencer Dirrig, presented on a data center panel at the statehouse, hosted by Policy Matters Ohio and attended by many state lawmakers.

Also in May, the Ohio Senate stood up a joint data center committee to hear from experts and stakeholders about the opportunities and impacts associated with data centers. This data center committee culminated in a large data center bill (HB 646) that creates some of the first protections for Ohioans and accountability for data centers.

Our team jumped into action: diligently reviewing this bill, providing testimony, and offering
expertise to lawmakers to ensure they make decisions in the best interests of the environment and Ohioans. Some of our key recommendations included urging the legislature to create a large load tariff for data centers that is uniform across Ohio’s four electric distribution utilities; to require monthly disclosure of water use and PFAS testing for any water discharges; and to prohibit public officials from signing non-disclosure agreements with data center developers.

While the legislation wasn’t finalized before lawmakers went home for summer recess, we found overwhelming support to act in our conversations. Every single lawmaker had a story about these facilities in their home districts. We are hopeful that data center legislation will be a priority in the lame duck session, and we’ll keep fighting for Ohioans to get the protections they deserve.