COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has joined 23 other Republican governors in supporting President Donald Trump’s Ratepayer Protection Plan, an initiative designed to prevent the growing demand for electricity from large data centers from increasing utility bills for residential customers.
The pledge calls on data center developers to provide or secure their own power generation rather than shifting infrastructure costs onto utility customers. It also encourages companies to invest in local job creation and workforce development as new facilities are built.
According to the White House, more than 200 organizations, including utility providers and data center developers, have signed onto the initiative, representing approximately 80% of the nation’s electricity delivery network.
The announcement comes as Ohio continues to debate how large-scale data centers should be regulated. Earlier this year, Gov. DeWine directed the Ohio Tax Credit Authority to pause approval of new tax exemptions for data center projects while state lawmakers review existing policies.
Concerns surrounding the rapid expansion of data centers have continued to grow across Ohio, with residents and local officials raising questions about increased electricity demand, environmental impacts and the cost of expanding infrastructure to support the facilities.
Although a proposed constitutional amendment that would have prohibited new data center development will not appear on the statewide ballot this year, several Ohio communities have adopted or are considering local moratoriums as discussions over future data center projects continue.
