The effort to ban large-scale data centers in Ohio is one step closer to getting on the ballot. On Wednesday, the Ohio Ballot Board unanimously approved a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would prohibit the construction of any data center using more than 24 megawatts a month — about 28 houses worth of power.
With the Ballot Board’s approval, organizers must get more than 400,000 signatures before July 1 in order to put the amendment on the November ballot.
“Megawatts a month” is some kind of unit confusion, like saying “miles per hour per week.”
I’m against these huge data centers, but that power usage number seems low. It should instead restrict them bases on water usage and noise polition. With those two restrictions, they can only build so big.
What’s a data center exactly? What if they just build 100 buildings all using 20MW each right next to each other?
Some of the definitions are included in the “Initiative Petition” (PDF). The sneaky work-around you imagined is prohibited in advance.
