CINCINNATI — Ohio has become a hotspot for data center development — and the backlash is growing.
WATCH residents' concerns below:
The Ohio Consumers' Council reports the state already has more than 200 operational data centers, with about 80 more proposed or planned statewide. The massive investments behind these mega sites are drawing scrutiny from rural communities across Ohio.
From Adams County to Wilmington in Clinton County, residents say they were left in the dark about development plans moving in near their homes.
"Nobody told us that this was going on, that the land was being rezoned," Wilmington, Ohio, resident Jessica Sharp told WCPO. "That any of this was in the works. So, you know you build what you think is going to be your forever home and you find out it's not going to be a farmer's field behind you anymore."
In Trenton, in Butler County, the city withdrew its petition Tuesday to annex more than 600 acres of land for an Amazon data center. Resident Barry Blankenship said trust has eroded since the fight began.
"I don't trust the city of Trenton because they've not given us anything since this past November, since we started in on the data center fight to trust them."
These mega sites are often developed by Prologis or Amazon Web Services (AWS).
For years, Ohio leaders aggressively recruited data centers. In December 2024, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said they "…are critical to today's modern economy…"
At that time, Amazon planned to invest another $10 billion into Ohio data centers, adding to more than $23 billion in planned AWS investment in Ohio already since 2015.
But in May 2026, as backlash from more rural communities expanded, DeWine announced Ohio would pause consideration of new data center tax exemptions. He still called them "a critical component to today's technology-driven economy,"
But the governor said lawmakers need more facts about the benefits and consequences.
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