Locust Grove and statewide — A statewide petition effort to allow voters to to limit the size of new data centers by amending the Ohio Constitution continues, though delayed by a year. One example of the battle was in the recent “Summer Solstice Celebration” by the Friends of Serpent Mound.
“Conserve Ohio” had a tent at the annual festival in Adams County last weekend. I spoke with Danielle Kinhalt on June 20th, 2026, a volunteer there. From their Facebook page:
“Conserve Ohio is a grassroots group focused on giving power back to the people of Ohio.
“We are organizing around a statewide petition for a constitutional amendment to stop the construction of massive data centers over 25MW. Many of the projects being proposed right now are over 1000MW. That is far beyond what most people think of as a typical data center.
“Deals are being made in secrecy. Communities are finding out after the fact. These projects can use massive amounts of water and come with tax deals like abatements and exemptions. While corporations benefit, everyday Ohioans could be left paying the price.
“We believe the people of Ohio should have a say in decisions that impact our land, our resources, and our future. This amendment is about transparency, accountability, and making sure your voice matters…”
At the tent, Kinhalt said she helped build the effort and became active in politics for the first time because of her concerns about a proposed data center near her.
She said she lives in Manchester, and a 1.3 gigawatt proposal is less than five minutes from her home. Kinhalt said her main concern is a lack of transparency, especially from the Adams County Commissioners regarding the project.
She explained that the petition must be signed in-person, with signatures grouped by counties. Conserve Ohio was hoping to put the initiative on this fall’s ballot, but has backed off to fall of 2027. From their website:
“The July 1st deadline was our best case scenario for the quickest possible action. Internally, we set that as our ideal target and it just didn’t pan out. We are not going to be submitting this year.
“That may be deflating to some, but not to us. In 10 weeks we’ve done more than most grassroots movements achieve in a year. Our momentum is only growing….the signatures we have gathered NEVER expire. The end goal has not changed. Our resolve has not changed.
“We want to make it clear: we will not be stopping. Construction won’t be stopping, so signature gathering and community action will not be stopping. To date, we’ve gathered over 70,000 signatures, and more than 1,000 Ohioans have stepped up to volunteer.”
A June 22nd post on their FB page notes “we are now at just under 85,000 signatures, adding 16,500 just this week!”
Among the requirements in the state law, constitutional initiatives must collect valid signatures totaling 10% of the votes cast for the past governor’s election, and signatures must be obtained from at least half of Ohio’s 88 counties.
Conserve Ohio reports that means 413,000 signatures. Most petition drives aim for a higher number since many signatures are disqualified, so they seek to get 700,000.
Kinhalt said since they are waiting to submit the petitions, they have until April 2027 to collect them.
Proponents of data centers say that they provide investment and and construction jobs, can recycle cooling water instead of using the local aquifer, can produce most or all of their own electrical needs, and are a needed part of our digital infrastructure.
But as one post on the Conserve Ohio Facebook page reads,
“They are not coming here [to Ohio] because they need to keep data on us, they can do that anywhere on the globe. Ohio has become a hot spot for data centers because our ‘leaders’ have been handing out sweetheart deals like candy. There is nothing to draw a DC to Ohio except bad government and or corruption.”
For other news, search the Scioto Post for “data center.”
