Throughout Ohio, building trades leaders are working to overcome public misconceptions about data centers and the growing “not in my backyard” mentality of some Ohio residents.
Ohio is home to the sixth-most data centers in the country — 232 in total, with 137 located in Central Ohio — and there is the potential for more to be built in the Buckeye State, creating good-paying jobs for members of the building trades.
However, as residents spread misinformation about data centers, unsubstantiated claims may be preventing these facilities from being built in Ohio, resulting in the loss of jobs, tax dollars and other community benefits.
NIMBY-ism and a Push for a Constitutional Ban
Over the past six months, NIMBY-ism has driven some residents from communities where data centers are proposed to pack planning commission, city council and township trustee meetings in an attempt to block construction.
A group of Southern Ohioans is also attempting to collect more than 413,000 signatures from at least 44 of Ohio’s 88 counties by July 1 to get a constitutional amendment on the November ballot allowing voters to approve a ban on some data center construction. As reported by the Ohio Capital Journal, the proposed amendment would prohibit building data centers with a peak load of more than 25 megawatts per month.
Multiple state, regional and local building trades leaders have urged members and their families not to sign the petition, which could ultimately cost the state thousands of construction jobs.
Central Ohio: 40 Percent of Work Hours Come From Data Centers
For affiliated members of the Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, data center construction has led to a boom in work hours, helping make Central Ohio one of the nation’s top construction markets.
Appearing on Fox Business Channel’s The Bottom Line on May 29, C/COBCTC Executive Secretary-Treasurer Dorsey Hager told host Brian Brenberg that 40 percent of the work performed within the Council’s jurisdiction comes from data center construction and maintenance.
“Since 2023, the hours worked in our nine-county jurisdiction by our 23,000 members has tripled,” Hager said. “The recent job creation and growth have been supported by the boom we have seen in data centers.”
Northeast Ohio: More Than 1,000 Jobs on the Line in Canton
The Canton Repository reported on an April Canton City Council meeting where East Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council President Brett McElfresh, who is also the Business Manager of UA Local 94, and ECOBCTC Vice President and IBEW Local 540 Business Manager Erik Hann discussed the construction of a proposed Amazon data center in Perry Township.
The project will create more than 1,000 jobs for members of the area’s building trades over the next four to six years. Hann stressed that the maintenance and upgrade work is also important.
“Even after they’re done, we never leave,” he said.
Gov. DeWine Pauses Data Center Tax Exemptions
On May 27, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine suspended the ability of data centers to request new tax exemptions while the Ohio General Assembly’s Joint Data Center Committee studies the growth of data centers in Ohio.
DeWine stressed his decision was not a ban on data center construction and that he fully supports the General Assembly’s work to study the issue.
“As this work is ongoing, I believe it is appropriate for the Ohio Tax Credit Authority to pause its consideration of new data center tax exemptions while the full impact of data center growth in Ohio is being reviewed,” he said.
The Joint Data Center Committee was created in mid-May and is co-chaired by Rep. Adam Holmes (R-Nashport) and Sen. Brian Chavez (R-Marietta). Other members include Rep. Thad Claggett (R-Newark), Rep. Heidi Workman (R-Rootstown), Rep. Chris Glassburn (D-North Olmsted), Sen. Bill Reineke (R-Tiffin), Shane Wilkin (R-Hillsboro) and Willis E. Blackshear Jr. (D-Dayton).
The committee’s goals include determining data energy cost and availability impacts for other Ohio ratepayers, identifying state and local community economics of data center development, determining environmental impacts, identifying public safety and national security considerations and increasing public awareness.
According to Affiliated Construction Trades (ACT) Ohio Executive Director Matt Szollosi, the building trades will have a strong presence at the committee’s hearings and provide testimony regarding the benefits of data center construction and maintenance.
Hager: Legislation, Not Bans
During his appearance on The Bottom Line, Hager criticized the governor’s decision to pause the tax incentive.
“Gov. DeWine’s decision to end the tax incentive, without any input or warning, when he previously vetoed the effort, is a reactionary policy to the current backlash against data centers instead of forward-thinking legislation that we have seen in other states,” Hager said.
He called for legislation that requires data centers to report on energy and water usage and regulates the type of energy used. He also said Acuerdos de Beneficio Comunitario should be required.
“If we work with them and provide good legislation, including community investment and behind-the-meter power generation, we can take some stress off the grid and help keep utility costs in check,” Hager said. “I think the data centers and the developers are paying their own way, not only in taxes, but in community investment.”
Cleveland Trades: Sensible Regulation, Not Broad Bans
Dave Wondolowski, Executive Secretary/Business Manager of the Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council, said he advocates for sensible regulations rather than broad data center bans.
“Thoughtful approval allows local leaders to negotiate community benefits and safeguards that align data center projects with public priorities,” he said.
Wondolowski explained that data centers now play a critical role in everyday life.
“Data centers are essential to Northeast Ohio’s healthcare, education, transportation, finance, public safety and industrial sectors,” he said. “Communities that block data center development will forfeit revenue, jobs and influence while still relying on data centers for essential digital services.”
Wondolowski also noted that data centers should be constructed on decommissioned industrial sites and brownfields, as has been proposed in communities across Ohio, including Lordstown, Conesville and Portsmouth, which can help balance the needs of Ohio’s agricultural and industrial sectors.
He also addressed a key safeguard created by the Public Utility Commission of Ohio: in 2025, PUCO required data center owners to pay for 85 percent of their electricity usage for at least the next 12 years.
Wondolowski stressed that responsible data center owners need to invest in the research and development of self-sustaining data centers that alleviate burdens on local ratepayers, and noted that data centers increasingly rely on closed-loop or air-cooled systems, which dramatically reduce water consumption compared to older designs.