Tech Companies Testify At Hearing As They Face Pushback On Data Centers

(ONN) – A major clash is brewing over the wave of tech data centers sweeping across Ohio.

Tech giants like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft testified at a state hearing.

Those companies are facing intense pushback from local communities across Ohio.

One Jackson County farming family even turned down more than three million dollars to keep developers off their land, warning the environmental risks are too high.

Microsoft promised lawmakers it will stop using non-disclosure agreements to hide details from local governments.

But, neighbors say secrecy is only part of the problem and they want proof these massive facilities won’t drain local water supplies or overwhelm the state’s power grid.

WFIN: The rendering above is of a data center in Wood County announced by JobsOhio.

In April, Findlay City Council approved an ordinance imposing a 12-month moratorium on data centers within city limits.