NPR reported that a proposed data center near Mt. Orab has helped galvanize Ohio opposition across party lines, with Brown County attorney Nick Owens organizing ahead of local votes Tuesday, Nov. 3.
NPR described Owens as a lifelong Republican and former Trump delegate. It said he joined local organizers to recruit volunteers from both parties in nearly all of Ohio’s 88 counties. Owens told NPR, “Our community is not for sale.”
The Brown County Press, citing county auditor records, reported that DB Stu LLC bought parcels within a 1,018-acre tract. The paper said local officials had nothing further to share. NPR reported that construction had not begun and no start date had been announced.
Petitioners submitted a proposed constitutional amendment on March 16, 2026. The Ohio Attorney General's Office certified its title and summary on March 26, while saying that review did not determine whether the measure was constitutional or enforceable. The proposal would prohibit construction of a data center whose aggregate monthly demand or peak load exceeded 25 megawatts.
Conserve Ohio announced June 17 that it would not seek ballot placement in 2026. On Sept. 8, the group said it was aiming for the Nov. 2, 2027, ballot and reported collecting more than 130,000 signatures; it lists 413,488 valid signatures as the minimum. The amendment has not qualified for a ballot.
NPR reported that data centers may bring tax revenue, school funding and construction jobs, while residents have raised concerns about electricity demand, emissions, pollution and noise. The outlet said permanent staffing can be smaller than construction employment. Ohio law allows full or partial sales and use tax exemptions for eligible data-center equipment, subject to statutory conditions.
NPR also reported that former Sen. Sherrod Brown has used Sen. Jon Husted's earlier support for data center investment as a campaign issue. Husted introduced the Ratepayer Protection Act, which would require states to consider standards for large electricity customers using at least 100 megawatts. The House passed H.R. 9340, 417-3, on Sept. 16; on Sept. 30, the Senate rejected a cloture motion on proceeding to the bill, 57-43. The measure did not become law.
Conserve Ohio says it helped organize local data-center ban proposals in 10 communities for Ohio's general election Tuesday, Nov. 3.
