05/31/2026
I wish I could be there.
🏛️ Ohio residents will get their first official chance to testify directly to state lawmakers about data centers on Monday when the bipartisan Select Committee on Data Centers holds a public hearing at noon in the Senate Finance Hearing Room at the Statehouse.
The hearing comes at a boiling point. Residents from communities across the state have been showing up at local meetings for months to voice their frustration over data center projects they say were approved behind closed doors, consume massive amounts of energy and water, and threaten farmland and quality of life. New reporting revealed the state gave up $1.57 billion in data center sales tax exemptions last year, nearly 12 times what was projected, with an additional $446 million in local tax breaks on top of that. That revelation prompted Governor DeWine to halt new exemption approvals and House Speaker Huffman to push for a veto override 🔍.
Monday's hearing is the first of three scheduled sessions. Public testimony comes first on June 1, followed by data center industry testimony on June 4 and local government testimony on June 8. The committee will examine data centers' impact on energy bills, water and wildlife, financial benefits to communities, national security risks, and transparency around nondisclosure agreements that have shielded deal terms from public view.
Residents say they plan to show up in force.
