Witness vows to halt any further data‑center project announcements in Ohio until legislature acts

The witness pledged to sign an executive order on the first day in office that would halt any further data‑center project announcements in the state of Ohio until the legislature passes the witness's proposed legislation.

"I will sign an executive order that halts any further data center project announcements in the state of Ohio unless and until we have passed our legislation," the witness said, framing the move as a demonstration that the administration would be "serious about this." The witness criticized data‑center developers' record of public trust, saying if the industry were graded, "I would give them an F."

The witness outlined four core legislative commitments they said would be codified in the bill. First, the witness said residents would see lower electric bills, and "if you live in the immediate vicinity of the data zone center, you will pay 0 for your electric bills in this state." Second, the witness said there would be no property‑tax abatements for developers; instead, the money would be redirected as rebate checks to residential owners in the affected county or community to lower residents' property taxes.

Third, the witness said wastewater and emissions standards would be strict: "the water that's used has to come out at least as clean or cleaner than when it went in, including air and water quality both. If that's not true, it's not going to get built." Fourth, the witness said the state should prioritize abandoned industrial sites rather than "fertile farmland" when siting data centers. The witness also proposed "vegetative insulation" — planting trees and buffers — to reduce noise and visual impacts around facilities.

The witness framed the package as protecting farmers and local communities and contrasted it with the opponent's approach, saying the opponent had "made no such commitment." There was no formal vote or action taken during the exchange; the pledge described a future executive order and the need for legislation to be enacted before new projects could proceed.

The exchange began after a question about byproduct and "AI waste" prompted the witness to reframe the concern as tied to data‑center siting and community impacts. The witness said the agenda reflects two top issues heard while traveling across the state — property taxes and data centers — and presented the package as the minimum conditions under which future projects would be allowed to move forward.