Nick Owens leads Ohio data center push

Nick Owens, a lifelong Republican and small-town attorney, is leading a statewide effort to ban large-scale data centers in Ohio.

Owens has focused his energy on a 1,000-acre parcel in Mt. Orab, a rural exurb of Cincinnati. Property records show the land was sold to a data center developer in 2024 and 2025. The development site abuts two-story homes in a village of 4,300 people.

Owens says nondisclosure agreements have blocked local residents from learning details about the project. He teamed up with another local attorney and a real estate agent to form Conserve Ohio. The group mobilized volunteers in nearly all 88 counties of the state. Members include Democrats, Republicans, and Independents.

This fall, Conserve Ohio is backing ballot initiatives in 10 communities. These measures would amend local charters to prohibit the construction of large-scale data centers. The group is also collecting signatures for a state constitutional amendment that would ban such facilities statewide. The goal is to place that amendment before Ohio voters in 2027.

Owens notes that tech companies have built data centers in Ohio for over a decade. They were drawn by cheap land, energy infrastructure, and tax breaks. The group argues that temporary pauses adopted by hundreds of local governments are insufficient. Owens says the new initiatives will determine if communities want these facilities.

The issue has become a major topic in the upcoming midterm elections. Former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown has labeled incumbent Republican Senator Jon Husted as the face of data centers. Brown points to Husted's past support for tech investments during his time as lieutenant governor. Husted has countered by accusing Brown of hypocrisy and pushing a federal bill to make data centers pay for power grid upgrades. Senate Democrats blocked that bill.

Linda Moodie, an independent volunteer in Fairfield, is collecting signatures at local events. She plans to vote for Brown, believing he has addressed the issue longer than other candidates. In Mt. Orab, a county that voted 80 percent for President Trump in 2024, campaign signs are sparse. Owens says the data center debate and high diesel prices have dampened Republican enthusiasm. Construction at the Mt. Orab site has not yet begun.