Coalition seeks Ohio data center standards

MONROEVILLE — A new coalition backed by major data center companies and labor unions plans to push for state and local development standards in Ohio as Monroeville continues its own work to regulate the industry. The American Infrastructure Alliance launched on Monday, saying it will advocate for rules addressing issues including electricity costs, water use and benefits to communities where data centers are built. Ohio is one of seven states initially targeted by the coalition, along with Texas, Georgia, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Indiana and South Carolina. The group said it intends to work with state and local officials on data center standards heading into 2027. Members include OpenAI, Blackstone, QTS, SoftBank, CoreWeave and Digital Realty, along with several labor organizations. The Ohio State Building & Construction Trades Council is also among the founding members. The coalition said its goal is to establish enforceable standards while allowing data center development to continue. Local impact The issue has already become a major topic in Monroeville. Village council voted in August to hire Cleveland law firm Mansour Gavin for an amount not to exceed $35,000 to help develop zoning rules and regulations for data centers. The firm's work could also include development agreements and potential litigation. Mayor Joe Galea told the Reflector earlier this month that the village's existing zoning code, like those in many communities, did not specifically address data centers. Galea said officials wanted outside attorneys to help establish standards dealing with concerns raised by residents, including noise and other potential effects of a data center. The village selected Mansour Gavin after considering several firms. Council records show the firm's primary work will involve developing regulations reflecting what the community wants to see. Galea said Sept. 9 that the effort is intended to create standards that could apply to any data center proposal that comes to the village. He said the village intends to continue addressing zoning issues officials believe are important to protecting the community before allowing a project to move forward. Village officials have gathered input through work sessions, residents living near the industrial park, planning commission members, council members and conversations with residents. Galea said officials have also reviewed comments made on social media as part of that broader effort. Residents will have another opportunity to weigh in. Galea said an advisory question concerning data centers will appear on the November ballot. The vote is advisory and does not itself establish village regulations. Debate spreads across Ohio Monroeville is not the only Ohio community trying to determine how data centers should be handled. State lawmakers have also begun examining the industry's growth. State Rep. Adam Holmes, R-Nashport, and state Sen. Brian Chavez, R-Marietta, announced the Ohio Joint Data Center Committee in May to study the economic, environmental, energy and security effects of data center development across the state. The bipartisan committee is also examining how the projects affect the communities where they are built. Data center proposals and local attempts to regulate them have reached the Ohio Supreme Court several times this year. • The court ruled Sept. 18 that proposed citizen-written data center regulations in Wilmington could not appear on the November ballot because one provision would have allowed private citizens to sue over zoning violations. • Earlier in September, the court ordered the city of Trenton to submit a proposed data center ban to voters at a special election. • In August, the court ordered Ashville village officials to forward a referendum petition involving two proposed data centers and a natural gas power plant to the county board of elections. The new American Infrastructure Alliance enters that debate arguing that communities, workers and developers should have established expectations before projects move forward. In Monroeville, Galea has said residents have expressed a range of opinions rather than a single position. "There has been support, there has been opposition," Galea said previously, adding that some residents have indicated they could support data centers if developers follow appropriate regulations, while others still have unanswered questions.