Ohio attorney leads ballot initiatives to block data centers in 10 communities

Nick Owens, a Republican attorney in Brown County, Ohio, is leading Conserve Ohio, a group that has organized volunteers in nearly all 88 counties to oppose hyperscale data centers. The group is backing ballot initiatives in 10 communities this fall that would amend local charters to prohibit large-scale data center construction, going beyond temporary pauses used elsewhere.

Conserve Ohio is also gathering signatures for a proposed state constitutional amendment to ban large-scale data centers, with a goal of putting it before voters in 2027. The opposition stems from secrecy around land purchases, such as 1,000 acres sold in Mt.

Orab, and concerns about noise and pollution. Data centers have become a midterm issue, with Senate candidates Jon Husted and Sherrod Brown trading accusations over past support for the industry. Owens, a former Trump delegate, says the issue has dampened Republican enthusiasm in rural areas.