I recently caught a television commercial advertising the coming data center near Bowling Green, Ohio (20 miles south of Toledo). Elon Musk and everything but the kitchen sink were thrown into it--"It will bring jobs and help local business!" beams a local food truck operator on camera. I wonder how long the local economy will prosper after the thing is built and the builders are laid off and the electricity and water nightmares begin.
Thank you very much for this detailed information. Folks in our county are working on preventing data centers from being built here. The data center company and a real estate developer are still talking about moving forward, the people DO NOT WANT IT. The supervisors, the planning & zoning commission, the health department (etc.) and the community are working together to draw up rules.
So happy to be reading this. And what a wonderful report it was. Brilliant way of covering the news. And journalism that we can trust. Thank you. The Supreme Court what they did with the mail in ballots makes no sense to me. Why is it a problem sending in a ballot and mailing it in.?
Thank you so much appreciate you. Don’t like the idea of these data centers. Something is off. The people are right to pushback. We know nothing about this.
Data centers cause serious negative effects, including massive energy and water consumption, local air and noise pollution, and higher utility bills for nearby residents. You can learn more about these growing regional impacts through the World Resources Institute.
Energy and Utility CostsHigh electricity demand: Data centers use vast amounts of power to run servers and cooling systems 24 hours a day.
Fossil fuel reliance: Their massive power needs often force power companies to keep coal and gas plants open longer or build new ones.
Higher electric bills: Utilities pass the cost of new power lines and grid upgrades onto local regular customers, raising household utility bills.Water DepletionIntense cooling needs: Facilities consume millions of gallons of water daily to keep computer servers from overheating.
Local shortages: They often draw directly from local drinking water supplies, creating shortages in dry areas.
Air Pollution and Health Diesel generators: Backup generators run on diesel fuel during power tests or grid failures.
Toxic emissions: These generators and nearby power plants release fine soot, smog, and nitrogen oxides into the air.Health risks: Bad air quality worsens asthma, triggers heart problems, and raises the risk of respiratory diseases in local neighborhoods.
Noise and Light Pollution Loud machinery: Large cooling fans and backup engines create a constant hum above 80 to 90 decibels.
Health impacts: Chronic noise causes sleep loss, high blood pressure, and high stress.
Disrupted wildlife: Bright security lights run all night, confusing animal sleep cycles and bird migration patterns.
Land Use and Social Equity Large footprints: Huge warehouse-sized buildings replace farmland and open green spaces.
Environmental injustice: Facilities are often placed in low-income or rural areas, adding more pollution to communities that already suffer the most.
Thanks for these excellent points. I live in WA state and am following the outcomes of a data center in Quincy, WA. Lots of money was poured into the community to begin with, and property taxes even went down! Then they started offering folks small amounts of money to run a bigger transmission line through their backyards. Because, of course, they eventually need more power. And sadly a Washington state court has said they can take that land.
Any agreement needs to be carefully structured IF the city can get ahead of it. But the best agreement is saying 'No' to any construction ASAP.
Also, as tempting as it is to play with ChatGPT or other AI, and there are now grandmotherly figures on commercials promoting the use of AI, I think we all need to boycott it as much as possible. Which entails telling your doctors office you do not give them your permission to take notes using AI during your visit.
I think we need to be very mindful of how we are utilizing this technology because of the price that we will pay for it.
Thank you, Erin and Suzanne! It's an honor to be mentioned in this piece. Good news - This week, the Pickaway County Board of Elections voted unanimously that Ashville's Resolution 06-2026 was legislative, subject to referendum. The referendum is set to be placed on the ballot in November, barring a challenge of the BoE's vote to the Ohio Supreme Court.
Challenging the BoE's vote this week seems unlikely, or unlikely that the Court would overrule the BoE's decision, at least. Part of Resolution 06-2026 suspended the Village's data center moratorium, which is pretty clearly a legislative act amending zoning regulation. Contrast that with an administrative act, not subject to referendum, which simply applies existing zoning code. I was at the Pickaway County BoE's vote, there were dozens of people there, and the Board received a standing ovation as the meeting adjourned. It was a pretty special moment.
Here's one more thing that will happen & it won't be because "we-the-peeps" demanded it because it's something that should have been done years ago in the first place. Suddenly, FIBER OPTIC is coming to town! Certain telecom businesses will act as though THEY are awarding this to you out of the goodness of their hearts. Actually, as in our state, they received a GRANT to place lines at neighborhood easements because IF a community doesn't already HAVE fiber optic, investors wishing to lay a lot of $$$ on state & local officials, will DEMAND fiber optic. In my ideal world, back when I was still on cable, it long ago should have been serviced & updated. I was IN the telecom industry on various project management assignments around 20 years ago & there was little planning for anything more than the immediate future. It was sad to watch systems degrade & not be fixed because of greed, plain & simple. Now we're paying a price with many of these telecoms pretending like they're being "good" to us when all it really means is that, as in our area, not only did they get PAID to lay fiber optic hubs, they also get customers who don't realize that their cable service is NOW ending!
I apologize. I intended to say that the REASON so many companies will now deploy fiber optic is because these are those ready to invest in DATA CENTERS because of their requirements.
Elon is taking Memphis water putting data centers in memphis whitehaven tn and souyhaven ms the area at the state line, TVA and mlgw Doug McGowen and mayor Paul Young what can be done we have been sold out help
Thank you for this report. In Mason, MI there are plans for a data center coming in. It is about 2-3 miles from my home.
I don't know if anyone has reported this to you yet. I am getting envolved late in the process. I signed a recall petition for 2 city counsil members and that is when I found out about it.
Marietta, GA has its citizens arguing with a board set up to listen to us, but they ignored every citizen speaker, bringing in another Data Center 7–2.
Brilliant reporting and excellent advice. Keep up the great work Erin and Suzanne!💪
Sounds like the land grabbing mafia that thrive across Asia and South America.
I recently caught a television commercial advertising the coming data center near Bowling Green, Ohio (20 miles south of Toledo). Elon Musk and everything but the kitchen sink were thrown into it--"It will bring jobs and help local business!" beams a local food truck operator on camera. I wonder how long the local economy will prosper after the thing is built and the builders are laid off and the electricity and water nightmares begin.
Thank you very much for this detailed information. Folks in our county are working on preventing data centers from being built here. The data center company and a real estate developer are still talking about moving forward, the people DO NOT WANT IT. The supervisors, the planning & zoning commission, the health department (etc.) and the community are working together to draw up rules.
Thank you for your dedication to protecting communities and educating consumers. Your tireless and often thankless work is greatly appreciated.
You are a bright light.
So happy to be reading this. And what a wonderful report it was. Brilliant way of covering the news. And journalism that we can trust. Thank you. The Supreme Court what they did with the mail in ballots makes no sense to me. Why is it a problem sending in a ballot and mailing it in.?
Thank you so much appreciate you. Don’t like the idea of these data centers. Something is off. The people are right to pushback. We know nothing about this.
Data centers cause serious negative effects, including massive energy and water consumption, local air and noise pollution, and higher utility bills for nearby residents. You can learn more about these growing regional impacts through the World Resources Institute.
Energy and Utility CostsHigh electricity demand: Data centers use vast amounts of power to run servers and cooling systems 24 hours a day.
Fossil fuel reliance: Their massive power needs often force power companies to keep coal and gas plants open longer or build new ones.
Higher electric bills: Utilities pass the cost of new power lines and grid upgrades onto local regular customers, raising household utility bills.Water DepletionIntense cooling needs: Facilities consume millions of gallons of water daily to keep computer servers from overheating.
Local shortages: They often draw directly from local drinking water supplies, creating shortages in dry areas.
Air Pollution and Health Diesel generators: Backup generators run on diesel fuel during power tests or grid failures.
Toxic emissions: These generators and nearby power plants release fine soot, smog, and nitrogen oxides into the air.Health risks: Bad air quality worsens asthma, triggers heart problems, and raises the risk of respiratory diseases in local neighborhoods.
Noise and Light Pollution Loud machinery: Large cooling fans and backup engines create a constant hum above 80 to 90 decibels.
Health impacts: Chronic noise causes sleep loss, high blood pressure, and high stress.
Disrupted wildlife: Bright security lights run all night, confusing animal sleep cycles and bird migration patterns.
Land Use and Social Equity Large footprints: Huge warehouse-sized buildings replace farmland and open green spaces.
Environmental injustice: Facilities are often placed in low-income or rural areas, adding more pollution to communities that already suffer the most.
Thanks for these excellent points. I live in WA state and am following the outcomes of a data center in Quincy, WA. Lots of money was poured into the community to begin with, and property taxes even went down! Then they started offering folks small amounts of money to run a bigger transmission line through their backyards. Because, of course, they eventually need more power. And sadly a Washington state court has said they can take that land.
Any agreement needs to be carefully structured IF the city can get ahead of it. But the best agreement is saying 'No' to any construction ASAP.
Also, as tempting as it is to play with ChatGPT or other AI, and there are now grandmotherly figures on commercials promoting the use of AI, I think we all need to boycott it as much as possible. Which entails telling your doctors office you do not give them your permission to take notes using AI during your visit.
I think we need to be very mindful of how we are utilizing this technology because of the price that we will pay for it.
Thank you, Erin and Suzanne! It's an honor to be mentioned in this piece. Good news - This week, the Pickaway County Board of Elections voted unanimously that Ashville's Resolution 06-2026 was legislative, subject to referendum. The referendum is set to be placed on the ballot in November, barring a challenge of the BoE's vote to the Ohio Supreme Court.
Challenging the BoE's vote this week seems unlikely, or unlikely that the Court would overrule the BoE's decision, at least. Part of Resolution 06-2026 suspended the Village's data center moratorium, which is pretty clearly a legislative act amending zoning regulation. Contrast that with an administrative act, not subject to referendum, which simply applies existing zoning code. I was at the Pickaway County BoE's vote, there were dozens of people there, and the Board received a standing ovation as the meeting adjourned. It was a pretty special moment.
Here's one more thing that will happen & it won't be because "we-the-peeps" demanded it because it's something that should have been done years ago in the first place. Suddenly, FIBER OPTIC is coming to town! Certain telecom businesses will act as though THEY are awarding this to you out of the goodness of their hearts. Actually, as in our state, they received a GRANT to place lines at neighborhood easements because IF a community doesn't already HAVE fiber optic, investors wishing to lay a lot of $$$ on state & local officials, will DEMAND fiber optic. In my ideal world, back when I was still on cable, it long ago should have been serviced & updated. I was IN the telecom industry on various project management assignments around 20 years ago & there was little planning for anything more than the immediate future. It was sad to watch systems degrade & not be fixed because of greed, plain & simple. Now we're paying a price with many of these telecoms pretending like they're being "good" to us when all it really means is that, as in our area, not only did they get PAID to lay fiber optic hubs, they also get customers who don't realize that their cable service is NOW ending!
I apologize. I intended to say that the REASON so many companies will now deploy fiber optic is because these are those ready to invest in DATA CENTERS because of their requirements.
Typo? “wall-less industrial boxes.”
Mean “window-less”?
Good catch! We were waxing poetic but got too excited.
ALL TRICKS & NO TREATS NDA LINGO BINGO HIDE & SEEK = FUBAR
Elon is taking Memphis water putting data centers in memphis whitehaven tn and souyhaven ms the area at the state line, TVA and mlgw Doug McGowen and mayor Paul Young what can be done we have been sold out help
I agree, it needs to be stopped ASAP.
Thanks so much for speaking up for Humanity , and everything that you do God Bless
Thank you for this report. In Mason, MI there are plans for a data center coming in. It is about 2-3 miles from my home.
I don't know if anyone has reported this to you yet. I am getting envolved late in the process. I signed a recall petition for 2 city counsil members and that is when I found out about it.
Are you aware of this one? What to do now?
Marietta, GA has its citizens arguing with a board set up to listen to us, but they ignored every citizen speaker, bringing in another Data Center 7–2.