Title
Notice/Advertisement Title: Public Utilities and Sustainability Committee: Data Centers Legislative Package Hearing Minutes
Contact Name: Chelsea Golterman
Contact Telephone Number: 614-645-3091
Contact Email Address: CLGolterman@columbus.gov
Body
Public Utilities and Sustainability Committee
Data Centers Legislative Package Hearing
Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, September 16, 2026
5:30 P.M.
Council Chambers, City Hall, 90 W. Broad St., Columbus, OH 43215
Councilmembers Present: Councilmember Christopher L. Wyche, Council President Shannon G. Hardin
Call to Order
[Chair Wyche] 5:34 P.M.
Introductions
[Chair Christopher L. Wyche] Happy Wednesday, everyone.
Thank you for joining us this evening for our third hearing on the data center policy package. Thank you for sticking with us. We’ve had two back-to-back four-hour hearings where we’ve discussed this topic. At our last hearing, we heard from about 25 individuals who provided feedback on the legislation that we introduced - we have made changes to that legislation that we are hoping to present today and that reflects the feedback that we received.
Tonight we will start by outlining ordinance 2560-2026, which just had a first reading on Monday’s council agenda, next we’ll review the changes made to the water conservation policy and the decommissioning policies that were introduced at the July hearing, and finally we will outline the behind-the-meter generation draft that is being introduced today.
If you have been following the work of the committee you will notice that we are not reviewing changes to the sewer tapping draft that has been heard at previous hearings. As I stated when we began this work, we are all learning together and we have found through our research that we may be able to utilize what is currently in code differently to achieve our goals, so we are going back to the drawing board on those requirements.
While Doctor Pruitt will elaborate on this point, one of the main changes you will notice is that the drafts are no longer only applicable to data centers.
Too often, government is reactive and this is one of those moments. Our communities have organized around data center development and while I am proud of Columbus for stepping up to meet the moment - I don’t want another Council to find themselves in this same situation down the line. That is why we are going to shift this conversation from focusing solely on data centers.
Any heavy industrial manufacturer that is a heavy user of our natural resources, has the potential to pollute, or are increasing the need for infrastructure expansion - should fall under these same regulations. Not only to address existing technologies and industries, but to prepare for future technologies and industries that may pop up as technology and AI advance.
Before we begin, let me stop and see if Council President would like to say a few opening remarks.
[Council President Hardin] Chair Wyche, thank you for your leadership in organizing this third hearing on the data center package that Council is working on. To this point, many of our conversations have focused on mitigating the environmental impacts of these data centers. I’m joining the first part of this hearing today because we are working on legislation together that is about the financial impacts of data centers, both for people’s pockets and for the City’s budget.
I wanted to begin today with a little context on how we got here. Last November, the Administration asked Council to raise utility rates. Councilmember Wyche, I give you kudos because you were able to ultimately negotiate down the increase they were asking for. But I was still concerned that, while enormous new users, like data centers, were coming onto our regional water system and requiring massive, expensive infrastructure buildout to serve them, that our own residents shouldn’t foot the bill for that growth. So we passed legislation to require Columbus Water & Power to study this exact issue - to figure out what we’re charging these high-volume users versus what it actually costs to serve them. CWP did that work and came back to us in June. And what they found is that there are really two things we need to consider. First, there is how much water you use. And second, there is how much water you need at one time. If a customer uses roughly the same amount, all the time, then our Water Department can plan for that. But, imagine a customer whose demand suddenly jumps to five or ten times its normal level. Our system still has to be big enough to handle that peak. We need enough treatment capacity. Enough pumps. Big enough pipes. Enough water available when that customer needs it. And we have to pay for that capacity even when the customer isn't using it.
CWP found that some large users have peak demands several times their normal usage. One customer in the analysis had a peak nearly 12 times its average demand. This raises an issue, in utility jargon, called “cost causation.” In Plain English, it means that if we’re only charging a mega user for how much water they use, we’re missing the broader point of how much infrastructure they’re requiring. And if their demand requires us to build more stuff, we need to understand what that stuff costs and they should be the one to pay for it.
This isn’t just about data centers - it’s any kind of major commercial or industrial project that requires this kind of usage. But it’s especially important for data centers because of a gap in how we think of the economic benefits of them. Data centers would say they generate a lot of economic benefit - they would say that they bring private investment, create construction work, and generate revenue for the communities where they're located. But we’re not really building data centers in Columbus proper. It is mostly other cities in Franklin County that are cutting data center deals - that's where revenue is flowing, to those other communities. Meanwhile, Columbus Water & Power gets stuck building the infrastructure necessary to provide the water, without any of that revenue to help pay for it.
This matters because we're entering a period of enormous investment in our water system. Historically, Columbus had extra capacity. Much of the infrastructure needed to serve growth was already here and already paid for. But, CWP is telling us that we're reaching a point where future growth will increasingly require new infrastructure. That’s why we’re planning the Home Road Water Plant, which will add 48 million gallons of water capacity per day, along with the major transmission infrastructure necessary to move that water. That new infrastructure isn't free. It’s going to cost billions. And someone has to pay for it. We’re here today because I don’t want a Columbus family that’s been here 30 years or a neighborhood small business to have to shoulder those costs.
CWP's own analysis concluded that without a more appropriate model for cost recovery, more of the infrastructure costs associated with new growth could ultimately fall on existing customers through future water rate increases. So, last November, we said we would study the issue and we did. Now we're asking CWP to take the next step. Ordinance 2560-2026 appeared on First Read on Monday and will come for a vote on September 28. The ordinance directs Columbus Water & Power to come back to us with a recommendation, which Council would take up before the end of the year. CWP will look at the demand, look at the infrastructure required to serve it, look at what it costs, and develop a rate structure that accounts for those costs.
The Utility Advisory Board will review it, and then any actual rate change will ultimately have to come back to Council for discussion and a vote. The economic benefits of growth matter. But so do the costs, and who bears them. My focus is making sure we understand what those costs mean for the City budget and for the people who open their water bills every month. My hope is that if these mega users who need the infrastructure pay more, then that can allow us to avoid higher rates on other residents and ratepayers.
I know we the City don’t have regulatory authority over electricity, but it’s worth noting this same conversation is playing out statewide around power. The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio has approved AEP to charge more to large new electric users, including data centers, that require new generation and transmission facilities. So, this is a version of that, just at a local level, and talking about water.
I’m grateful for my colleagues. I’m grateful for the stakeholders. I’m grateful for the community that cares and has been engaged. I’m looking forward to this conversation.
[Chair Wyche] Thank you, Council President. With that, we will jump right in.
Presentation: Data Centers Legislative Package
[Chair Wyche] Presenting for Council, we have Dr. Tanisha Pruitt, the Legislative Research Office Analyst assigned to my committee. Dr. Pruitt, thank you for all your work on these policies, the floor is yours.
Dr. Tanisha Pruitt, Legislative Research Office Senior Policy Advisor, Columbus City Council
[Dr. Pruitt] Good evening, Chair Wyche and Council President Hardin. Thank you for the opportunity to present updates to the proposed data center legislative package. I'd like to begin with a brief overview of today's agenda.
Councilmember Wyche held the second hearing on this legislative package in July, where Director Erickson outlined proposed provisions on water conservation, site decommissioning, sewer requirements, rate setting, and community benefits. Since then, our office has reviewed feedback from partners, advocates, residents, and industry experts, and continued stakeholder conversations to ensure the legislation is representative and improves outcomes for residents. Today's presentation covers three items: an ordinance on Peak Rates scheduled for Council passage on the 28th, updates to the previously shared Water Conservation and Decommissioning drafts, and a new proposal under consideration by Chair Wyche's office on Behind-the-Meter Generation.
As previously noted by Chair Wyche, we will not be discussing the updates to the Sewer Tapping draft. Further review found most of its provisions already exist in code, so that section is being reworked.
Rising residential utility rates, driven by high-volume users placing greater demand on infrastructure, led Council to pass a floor amendment in November 2025, introduced by Chair Wyche, directing Columbus Water & Power (CWP) to develop a plan ensuring high-volume users pay their share of infrastructure investment. CWP presented its findings in June: the peak volume and variability of high-volume users create unique system demands that justify allocating costs based on cost-causation, not total consumption alone. A volumetric-only rate structure shifts infrastructure costs onto residential and small commercial customers.
The ordinance, 2560-2026 that is set to go before Council on the 28th builds on those findings. It does not rewrite the City's rate structure - that technical and legal work remains with Columbus Water & Power, in consultation with the Utility Advisory Board. Instead, it sets a clear deadline for Columbus Water & Power to bring Council a concrete proposal implementing cost-causation: the customers who drive the need for new infrastructure pay for that capacity, rather than spreading costs evenly across all ratepayers - ensuring high-volume users, regardless of industry, pay their fair share.
A few key provisions of that ordinance is that Columbus Water & Power must submit a rate material document to Council by October 26, 2026. Tools that Columbus Water & Power must consider are tiered/block volumetric charges per unit of water consumed, monthly capacity/demand charges, as well as minimum monthly bill and annual minimum-take provisions. Additionally, system development charges and time-of-use pricing to reflect system peaking costs. In the report that Columbus Water & Power must submit to Council, it must cover the class criteria, laying out how they define the peak user rate class, cost-allocation methodology for the new rate class, contractual/tariff rate-design mechanisms, estimated revenue and impact that this new revenue could have on future affordability for ratepayers, peer regulatory approaches and other jurisdictions, and the effected range of water that the large load users will use. Columbus Water & Power must give Council periodic updates and continue to engage the public and residents through the process.
Next, I will discuss the updates made to the previously shared draft on water conservation and reuse. Data center growth is one of the defining utility policy questions facing cities nationwide. Central Ohio, home to more than 100 operational data centers, and nearly 200 statewide, sits at the center of that growth. Because chip fabrication, brewing and beverage, and food-processing facilities can place comparable demands on the City's water, sewer, and power systems, the draft language has been broadened to apply industry-neutral principles of volumetric use and infrastructure cost-causation, rather than targeting any single sector.
The key updates include: raising square-footage and peak water demand thresholds to align with existing benchmarking for large-load/heavy industrial users, removing the reclaimed-water-proximity requirement, since no reclaimed water reuse facilities currently exist in the city, simplifying the drought and emergency-response section to defer to CWP's existing authority, since an effective policy is already in place, and aligning notification deadlines with existing state and federal EPA requirements. We also strengthened enforcement in this section after receiving feedback from the community - a facility that skips its plan or falsifies its report faces substantial daily penalties and potential criminal referral.
Ultimately, these changes protect the reliability and cost of the residential water supply by requiring the largest industrial users to conserve and cover their own sub-metering costs - reducing pressure on the system and on residents' rates.
Moving on to the Decommissioning Plan draft. As with the Water Conservation draft, this chapter's scope has been broadened to include all large-load/heavy manufacturing and industrial facilities. Thresholds for electrical design capacity and peak water demand were raised to match. Following discussions with the relevant city departments, regulatory authority for this chapter has shifted between the Department of Development and BZS. As a note, we are still working with the City departments to nail down the authority on this section. Electronic-waste management provisions - keeping servers, batteries, and electronics out of the regular waste stream - and cessation-of-operations protocols - requiring notice, a plan, and site restoration before a company can close - have been aligned with state and federal EPA guidelines. Additionally, the City Attorney will be authorized to require inspections, and penalty fines and fees will increase to ensure compliance.
Following conversations with environmental and energy partners, we identified a need to incorporate Behind-the-Meter Generation standards into the legislative package. This proposal is in early stages. It would apply to large-load/heavy manufacturing and industrial facilities with on-site generation up to 49 MW of cumulative capacity - facilities above 49 MW fall under the State Power Siting Board and cannot be regulated by the City.
Existing equipment would have 180 days to register, with up to a 3-year phase-in for the renewable-energy requirement. At least 30% of a facility's on-site generated power would be required to come from renewable sources. No new uncontrolled diesel generation would be allowed in a baseload or peaking role; new large gas units must use best-available control technology to limit smog- and soot-forming pollutants near neighborhoods. Emissions would be tracked monthly and reported annually, increasing transparency around local air-quality impacts.
There would be a requirement of a dedicated annual environmental impact fee - a registration fee plus a per-ton fee - this would fund air-quality monitoring, the Columbus Climate Action Plan, and the Urban Forestry Master Plan, so facilities that generate pollution help fund the programs that offset it. Current penalties under consideration range anywhere from $50,000-$250,000 per item for failure to register or file, and anywhere from $250,500-$500,000 for false reporting.
As a reminder, everything presented today remains in draft form and is subject to continued public and industry feedback. If a provision doesn't go far enough, or a protection is missing, we want to hear from you before this comes before Council for a vote. Please direct questions or comments to Chair Wyche's office - your input directly shapes what happens next. Thank you for your time. I'll now turn it back over to you, Chair and Council, for questions.
[Chair Wyche] Thank you, Dr. Pruitt. I want to note that based on prior testimony and written testimony submitted before the hearing, a lot of folks have been concerned about behind the meter generation. Due to Ohio revised code, anything above 50 megawatts has to go to the Ohio Power Siting Board for approval. The City is unable to do anything for those sites. That is a challenge. My frustration is that natural gas, diesel burning, polluting sources of energy generation can rapidly come to the market while renewable energy sources have to go through additional hoops and hurdles that prevent them from becoming potential behind the meter site for very large load data centers. It is our attempt to try to find the narrowest way that we can begin to build some type of regulatory structure knowing that this number probably does not go far enough to hit what a data center might build on site. I just want to note that concern.
Public Testimony
[Chair Wyche] We do have a number of speakers signed up to speak on the legislation. I want to remind folks that this is a place of debate and thought exchange, but we need to do it with a bit of decorum. I understand that people are passionate about this topic. However, I ask that you treat others as you want to be treated and refrain from interrupting speakers. Not only so everyone in the audience can hear them, but also for the people watching online. We do not have to agree with each other but in order to get to a good policy, we need to be able to have hard conversations. I ask you all to remember that we are all neighbors advocating for what we personally think is best for our communities, and so let's be constructive with our criticism so that we can accomplish the goal of establishing good policy. With that, we will jump into public comment.
Dorsey Hager, Columbus & Central Ohio Building and Construction and Trades Council
[Hager] Thank you for the opportunity to speak. As you know, Central Ohio is experiencing historic growth. We currently have 9 projects exceeding a billion dollars. Columbus is now the second fastest growing city in the United States and our region is projected to welcome 1 million new residents by 2035. Our members built this country. They are the workforce that built America and they are the workforce building the next generation of American infrastructure, including data centers and behind the meter energy facilities. These projects create thousands of construction jobs and expand long term economic opportunity. They also bring major capital investments that benefit schools, infrastructure, and entire communities.
Voters support growth when communities are protected. Communities and developers agree on one simple principle: families and small businesses should not subsidize the power, water, or roads required by these large facilities. Developers should pay their own way, bring their own power, and operate under rate structure that protect existing customers on the grid. When these protections are in place, voters overwhelmingly support AI driven energy growth and largescale development. Any ordinance considered by Columbus City Council should be simple, direct, and focused on protecting residents while encouraging investment.
We recommend these three core requirements: battery backed energy production, water recycling systems, and community investment commitments. We must continue to work together. Central Ohio’s future relies on attracting and retaining these transformative projects. On behalf of the over 18,000 members of the Columbus & Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, I respectfully request that Columbus City Council adopt policies that protect families while keeping Central Ohio competitive, growing, and open for business.
[Chair Wyche] Thank you. One thing I want to ask - folks don’t feel like these are jobs that are long lasting. You work on a job for a year, and then that’s it. Can you speak to that?
[Hager] There’s a couple fallacies that relate to that question. Google is huge in Central Ohio. Between the three Google campuses in the Central Ohio region, the Columbus Building Trades logged over 6.5 million work hours last year. That equates to almost 4,000 jobs.
The other misconception is decommissioning regulations. Very simply put, we constantly have pipe fitters, plumbers, HVAC techs, and electricians continuously going into these data centers and behind the meter generation centers to upgrade the servers. There is continuous work. These jobs are long-lasting.
Mike Starks, Member, Sheet Metal Workers Local 24
[Starks] I have been fortunate enough to have spent seven years working at data centers. Unfortunately, I have to commute everyday to New Albany to get to work. If we could bring those types of jobs that I’ve been working to Columbus, to the residents, it would help greatly. I am a father a five and a proud husband. Data centers have blessed me and put me in a position to provide for my family. Regulations with power and water need to be addressed. Data centers do need to take care of their fair share. However, data centers have provided me a better way of life.
[Chair Wyche] I appreciate that. I am a father myself. It would be disingenuous of me to say that I don’t like your job, and so you should not have it, while I am able to continue doing what I want. Thank you for being here and thank you for your advocacy.
Suzan Ruzicka, Member, Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 189
[Ruzicka] I want to be very clear that I and many of my colleagues in the skilled trades industry know that Central Ohio’s data center boom brings mixed reactions and understandably, concerns from neighbors. One of the primary concerns with data centers is that they do not offer long term job opportunities. I hope that my testimony makes it clear that there are many long term, high quality and working-class careers that are spurred on by data center development.
Once constructed and operational, data centers require a team of professionals to maintain their heating, cooling, plumbing, and other mechanical systems. I know this well because for 25 years I served in leadership roles for multiple large service contractors overseeing preventative mechanical maintenance at some of the largest facilities in our region. That work supported dozens of full-time careers. Now, that same sort of work is needed to maintain Central Ohio’s data centers. As data centers grow, so too has the opportunity to join the ranks of professionals who serve these facilities. These careers are accessible to many - they do not require a degree or close connections to access. My peers and I benefit from the increase in long term demand for our craft and talent.
Kelsey Colwell, Columbus Resident
[Colwell] I have a lot of questions to ask, and I’m not sure if all of them can be answered here today. To start: Are there any existing large scale data centers within Columbus city limits?
[Chair Wyche] Yes, so there are technically 18 data centers within the city limits. I think there are one or two that are hyperscale locations.
[Colwell] Is there any land within Columbus city limits that could have data centers built on it in the future?
[Chair Wyche] Based on zoning, I think there are probably some ability for data centers to be located here. At this moment, we have not received any requests for development.
[Colwell] So, would existing data centers be impacted by the behind the meter draft ordinance and by the decommissioning draft code language?
[Chair Wyche] The behind the meter ordinance is for new builds. There may be existing data centers within or outside Columbus - this legislation would not apply to them.
[Colwell] Are there any efforts to make legislation that applies to existing data centers?
[Chair Wyche] Yes, one of the pieces with the water conservation plan, regarding annual reporting of water usage, that would be for data centers that are currently here.
[Colwell] Is it possible for large scale data center owners and operators to take water directly from fresh water sources, bypassing Columbus municipal water?
[Chair Wyche] Not within our boundaries, no.
[Colwell] Would they have to apply for a permit? Or they just cannot do it, all out?
[Chair Wyche] Not within our footprint, where we currently have service.
[Colwell] These companies and the people that own them are very wealthy, beyond what we can actually comprehend. How high is the Council willing to go when it comes to charging these users?
[Chair Wyche] It’s a delicate balance to figure out where that line is. If there are similar users that have a similar use pattern to a hyper scale data center location, they could get wrapped up in that too. Think of an Abbott Lab, that makes baby food. The last thing we want to do is raise fees on Abbott, who then have to carry those fees on to their customers who are new parents trying to feed their family. So, trying to find that balance is one of the reasons that Columbus Water & Power has spent a long time to study this issue, to find the right balance.
[Council President Hardin] I think we should be very clear that this fourth water plant is going to cost billions of dollars. The cost of that cannot solely be put on residents and small businesses. I think that we will be up front in our conversations with any high-use water users that we want to work with them to see how they can help us understand their impact on the system and what role they can play. These users need the water, and we need the plant. I think we can be clear in those conversations with them.
[Colwell] Does the Columbus municipal water department currently inspect large scale data centers or other manufacturers that use municipal water?
[Chair Wyche] The Director has the authority to do that.
[Colwell] Do we know if that happens?
[Chair Wyche] I’m sure that it does. I’m sure that we can provide additional clarification. And I apologize, we do have additional folks signed up to speak. Is it possible for you to send additional questions to us so that we can get them answered for you?
[Colwell] Sure. I’m just trying to demonstrate the questions that I have that I think maybe a lot of people also have. My last question is regarding whether or not the City of Columbus has any intention of conducting pollutant tests at the exit points of large scale data centers?
[Chair Wyche] Yes, that is one of the components of the sewer tapping requirements which are currently in code. A lot of that is currently being done by Columbus Water & Power.
Jennifer Radomski, Central Ohio Resident
[Radomski] I would like to speak to the specific detriments of data centers to my fellow low-income and disabled citizens. We are in an affordable and accessible housing crisis. Data centers are especially harmful to people live with chronic pain as well as sensory disabilities, including autism. There is a constant level of noise that is literally torturous, not only to humans but also to wildlife that we share this planet with. Disabled people are also more vulnerable to the detrimental effects of pollution, because our bodies are more fragile than nondisabled individuals. Data centers produce not only noise pollution, but also air and water pollution. Data centers are also frequently built in low-income areas, where disabled people are often forced to live. Not to mention, unaffordable utility rates are already unfairly increasing. Nobody wants a data center in their backyard, especially not disabled people. We demand a moratorium on any new data centers in Columbus.
[Chair Wyche] Jennifer, thank you for your advocacy. I want to be clear that Council knows about the housing crisis, and we are focused on trying to do everything we can to continue providing housing for our residents. Having spoken to many in the disability community, we have talked about the need for accessible housing as well, which is already limited due to the way developments are operating in the community. We’re looking to do more.
Phil Wessendorf, Floco Process/Comprex North America
[Wessendorf] My background for the last 50 years has been in system design. I look at this as trying to address the problem before it goes further. I’ve been working with a lot of large manufacturers for the past five to six years on sustainability and new technologies, and how we drive that. I was advised to come to this hearing by a manager of the EPA, who told me that water needs to be addressed by data centers.
Data center growth increases attention on municipal water supply. A key issue is not only how much water is used, but what treatment chemicals are used. Water, wastewater, biocide use, biofilm control, and energy efficiency should be evaluated together. They go hand in hand. Killing biofilm is not the same as removing it. From the front end, you need to remove it. My client, Comprex, combines controlled compressed-air impulses with water to create alternating air/water force inside piping. Potential data center applications include chilled-water loops, condenser-water loops, heat exchanges, cooling towers, and more. The objective is to start with cleaner surfaces so ongoing treatment can be optimized.
This is not new technology - it has been over in Germany and Europe for over 30 years. This technology provides a way to reduce dependence on chemical treatment by physically removing contamination. It is efficient - we're doing what other people are doing in eight hours, we do in 25 minutes. All I ask is that if you have businesses coming in your area, ask them to reach out and inform them of the technology that is solving their 2030 water savings goals just with the use of the Comprex technology. I wanted to tell the benefits of it, and I appreciate your time.
Pat Marida, Columbus Resident
[Marida] There are numerous critical issues surrounding data centers. There is no public deed or public good. They are not producing products for human needs, and they are racing to compete for dominance or a share in the pie. AI social media targets people with hate and foments violence. It is a terrible direction for humanity to be heading. So much of this is for surveillance and war making.
Nondisclosure agreements are happening far and wide, while the public is kept in the dark. Promised construction jobs do not last. We do not know why tax abatements and other subsidies are given to wealthy entities. The noise - data centers can be heard up to a mile away. 24/7 is the defining problem. Not just for humans, but for other creatures as well. Destruction of rural and small-town life. The AI technology of today will be obsolete in ten years. The electricity needed for proposed data centers is getting close to doubling the amount of electricity currently used in Ohio. There is no source for this electricity. It has been predicted that Ohio will run out of natural gas.
I’ll close by saying that I hope you will look at my written testimony, and see the dangers of burning natural gas. There is radioactivity - volatile organic compounds have been detected. I discuss the environmental cost. Last, but not least, on September 14 the U.S. EPA signed the final partial repeal of the carbon pollution standards for fossil fuel fired electric generating units, effectively stripping the agency of its authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants under the Clean Air Act. We are being stripped of the protections we thought we had.
[Chair Wyche] Pat, looking through your written testimony that you submitted earlier, you have brought up numerous, legitimate concerns. The sad reality is that the purview of this Council and what we are actually able to do is somewhat limited. We will continue to take advocacy to the state and federal level on behalf of our residents. From an energy production standpoint, we are very much on the same page. I would love to see renewable energy being utilized, other than fracking and natural gas. Unfortunately, we are a blue dot in a red state. I’m happy to chat with you to see how we can do advocacy at the state level to make some changes on the things that you proposed.
[Marida] Yes, it is true that these gas plants may not be built here. But, this is the consideration that you have to have when the effect of this goes far behind just Columbus city limits. I thank you very much.
Samantha Baker, Columbus Resident
[Baker] I didn’t receive the updated draft proposals until yesterday, an hour before testimony was required to be submitted. I have not had time to meaningfully go through those documents to put forth any sort of useful feedback. I look forward to having the time to go through those policy proposals. My main ask is for Council not to make any sort of decisions on these when the public has not reasonable time to go through those proposals.
We’ve had numerous hearings on data centers, and at all of them, the majority of people testifying were in opposition to data centers. I find it interesting that the few people in support of data centers mentioned that they were asked to speak.
President Hardin, you mentioned that data centers need water. Data centers do not need anything, because they are not people. People need water. People need breathable air. I do not have anything else to say. I hope you do not make any decisions on these draft proposals until the public has reasonable time to go through this legislation with a fine-tooth comb, be able to do our research, and put together cohesive feedback.
[Chair Wyche] Thank you for your advocacy, and my apologies on the draft. Usually, as people were sending in their requests to provide testimony, we were sending the drafts back to folks. We will correct that moving forward. And, at any point in time, we will take your testimony. The only thing that is on track for passage is the peaking fees component. If you have thoughts on that, focus there. Everything else will still go through a rigorous committee process.
Kat Finneran, Columbus Resident
[Finneran] The public cannot meaningfully participate in decisions that it does not have adequate time or information to understand. We are being asked to participate in a major conversation on data centers, while information about this latest draft policy is coming out piece meal.
My largest concern at this point is not simply that this particular data center policy is not strong enough, or the lack of a moratorium on data center development. My concern is that Columbus seems to be making decisions about the next generation of infrastructure without demonstrating that we have a coherent vision for the climate future we are living in. This summer we saw flooding hit the Southside so hard, that our unhoused neighbors in encampments were swept away in flood waters. Confusing briefings made it hard for the public to understand the type of severe weather that hit the community. Despite such issues, the Southside seems to stand out as a potential area for data center rezoning.
Unless Columbus City leadership can muster up a bit more courage and strategy in their long-term policy vision, I fear that the devastating effects of the current climate crisis will be an experience that most residents of this City will be forced to navigate.
[Chair Wyche] Thank you for your advocacy. And I hear you, Kat, on the resiliency planning. It has been oen of my biggest frustrations with the Ginther adminstration - their lack of interest in finding ways to protect our unhoused neighbors, especially in the face of the climate crisis.
Jessica Holes, Columbus Resident
[Holes] I work in Asheville, Ohio, so I have a few comments for one of the gentlemen who spoke before me. Asheville residents have been fighting against the data center. The village of Asheville and the people who live there do not want to the data center in their community.
Behind the meter electrical generation adds a layer to the data center dilemma. Projects pitched as behind the meter are susbtantially worse for the people and environment surrounding the proposed data center. When fossil fuels are burnt, they emit pollutants. These pollutions can cause acid rain and other secondary pollution source types. Such pollutants have numerous health implications, which comes at the expense of the residents who live near data centers and are forced to bear the cost of healthcare and treatment. For such reasons, I ask this Council to ban behind-the-meter generated data centers. Additionally, even with the most conservative water use practices, the pollution and use of excessive water is inevitable. A data center moratorium is a true solution for our community and its residents. Why allow new facilities to pollute our air and use our water, when we already face challenges to meet demand? I encourage the Council to implement a data center moratorium. Oversight is simply not enough at this time, prevention is what is needed.
Alexandria Morton, Columbus Resident
[Morton] I appreciate you hosting an open dialogue, but I feel that the people who need to hear this will likely ignore what is being said. Yes, data centers are dangerous for the environment. They negatively impact communities, cause water and noise pollution, and increase our electric bills. However, I think the bigger issue is the injustice in which people’s voices are being silenced. For example, it was deemed illegal for our state to be gerrymandered in the way that it has been. However, that ruling has been ignored. I feel that data centers are just the fruit of a deeper issue. There is a future being constructed for me and my children, without my knowledge. It must be said that that is not okay, and it is to the detriment to others.
[Chair Wyche] Alexandria, I appreciate you being here and I appreciate your advocacy. I am curious, what action do you think I can take, whether that being advocating at the statehouse or finding a path to regulate the industry, that you think would be meaningful?
[Morton] I think increased advocacy at the state. The question is how do we, the people, and the Council, work together to bring some accountability to the industry and to state government.
Carter Mason, Columbus Resident
[Mason] A recent study highlights the economic effects of data centers. According to the article, the economic benefits of data centers are far less than we may think - in fact, they may not exist at all. The authors explain that data centers do not provide any substantial, long-term economic benefit to the towns they are in. The authors compared towns with data centers to towns that heavily considered data center development, but ultimately decided to not forward with it. Hypothetically, these towns are generally comparable. In comparing these two groups, housing price growth was found to decline in the towns with data center development. Additionally, decreased housing prices led to decreased tax revenue. Data centers are not a desirable place for people to live nor move to, thus generating less tax revenue. Little evidence of increases in local employment and business establishment was found in those communities with data center developments.
Now, it’s important to note that this study is in the early stages of peer review. This is also only one study. However, unless it is found to be seriously defective, it is among one of the better studies we have on this subject. And it says: data centers provide little to no long-term benefit to the local economy. What we do with that information is up to us.
Josh White, Organic Flower Farmer, Columbus Resident
[White] I do not have an outlined speech, but I do have some questions. My first question is, what does City Council think of data centers in Columbus? Amongst the public, there seems to be a lot of dissent. But, what is your opinion?
[Chair Wyche] My opinion is that data centers are currently here, and it is important that we have regulations in place so that we can know their water use and ensure that whatever comes out of their waste stream is not contaminating our water. If they are going to do behind the meter generation and pollute our air, then we need to mitigate that. It is important to put regulations in place, so that the data centers that are here can be mitigated as much as possible.
[White] Is there anyone in this legislative body that does not want them?
[Chair Wyche] You’d have to ask individually.
[White] How about you?
[Chair Wyche] I think that as has been said before - they have an economic impact on our City and it’s hard for us to say, “No, we do not want you to provide jobs and opportunities for folks who are in our City.” There are folks who depend on these data center developments for their livelihood.
[White] There are opportunities to provide different types of jobs to people. We are facing catastrophic climate collapse. What if you offer jobs around ecological restoration? Jobs around a resiliency plan? Again, I want to ask you, what do you think about mega-polluters on top of our community?
[Chair Wyche] To your earlier point, about the climate catastrophe. There are challenges and restraints put on this Council by a Statehouse that does not care about people.
[White] Let’s talk about that.
[Chair Wyche] I am happy to have a one-on-one conversation with you so that we can talk about that, as well as the failings of the administration with their Climate Action Plan.
[White] I am just pointing out the general failure. I think the community would see if the City actually cared about us. You said there are 18 data centers within City limits, and one or two of them are large scale? What can be done about that?
[Chair Wyche] That is the legislative process we are going through right now. Those developments currently within City limits will have to follow the rules that we as Council establish.
[White] Could a moratorium be enacted that would stop those data centers from operating entirely?
[Chair Wyche] No. A moratorium could not do that, nor do we have the power to do that.
Leah Conway, Central Ohio Resident
[Conway] A lot of the specifics discussed are out of my wheelhouse. But what I do understand, and what I am qualified to talk about, are the environmental impacts of industrial development. What we’ve known for a long time is that data centers are water hungry operations. Evaporative cooling, which uses a ton of water, is the most common and the cheapest form of data center cooling.
We’ve long known that handwriting notes in classes results in better comprehension and recall than typing into a computer or phone. Now take it a step further by asking AI to create a sanitized and often incomplete summary for us instead. Our kids are in trouble - seeing students utilizing AI and seeing teachers and school administrators encouraging the use of AI. We are falling behind not because we do not use AI enough, but because we are using AI too much.
Additionally, what of the energy used to power data centers? Many Americans have seen their electricity bill skyrocket. Some new projects have promised to build their own new power plants. What does that mean? More carbon emissions, more air pollution, more fine particulates in you and your loved ones lungs, and more noise. It is not pleasant for us or wildlife. So much of Ohio’s land and water has been damaged by years of exploitation. How much will we deem acceptable for a cause that has so little genuine benefit?
[Wyche] I appreciate you being here and being an advocate, as well as your work in conservation. It is a big component of the work that my office does. Your comment earlier on technology related to water use is important. We initially looked at requiring specific water technology to require these plants to be more water efficient. The challenge we have, is that if we require these developments to use a specific technology - tomorrow, a new and better technology could come out. So we are trying to find the balance. Your comments on AI are also very important and very timely. There is an overdependence on AI in education. We are losing critical thinking skills for our young people.
Darcie Odom, Columbus Resident, Volunteer with Conserve Ohio
[Odom] As a volunteer with Conserve Ohio, I get to hear from a lot of citizens as I collect signatures for a statewide ballot initiative that would ban data centers greater than 25 megawatts. I have spoken to many people who work inside of data centers. I have heard a story of a construction worker dying on site during a data center buildout for Amazon, and how carelessly it was handled. I have heard that there are hundreds, maybe thousands, of union workers who travel from outside of the state to work on these data center developments. We’re not even giving the jobs entirely to Ohio citizens. The one thing that all agree on - the technology that we are currently using in these data centers will be surpassed in 10 years time. We are giving up our resources for these companies that will be leaving us in a decade.
You said that a moratorium would be performative. I do not believe that a moratorium would be performative. As the capital city, we would be setting a precedent for the state and allowing smaller, rural communities to follow our example.
Adam Weisberg, Columbus Resident
[Weisberg] I came to speak more broadly and holistically on data centers. I want to pause for a minute and acknowledge the details that staff raised in the beginning. I think I understand that you want to treat data centers as any other industry? That was part of the shift?
[Chair Wyche] Really, any heavy industrial entity that may be polluting, we are trying to provide regulations that will cover all of them.
[Weisberg] This industry is different. Those other industries are not telling us that they might wipe out humanity in three years. The problem goes beyond pollution and water. It is beyond our control, it is the lever of power. I worked in the union for 22 years, and I heard what the trades said and I love the trades. The problem with this industry is a bigger problem and it needs a larger deliverable process. There are so many unknown risks. There is a lot at stake. We have a set of levers of power, and we need to use them to create that time and opportunity while also delivering a deliberative and well-informed process. I am here to support a moratorium, and support the City taking whatever steps it can take to say, “Look, we are not hooking you up to water until you can answer some questions about your impact on society and our community.”
Becca Pollard, Executive Director, Buckeye Environmental Network
[Pollard] At the last hearing in July, I spoke about the ways in which impacts of the global climate crisis were becoming more apparent at the local level. Since that hearing, Central Ohio has experienced numerous catastrophic storms. Nearly a month later, cleanup from those storms is still underway. To call events like these “the new normal” is an understatement. As we all know, the frequency and intensity of storms in our area will only continue to increase as the climate crisis worsens. Anthropogenic climate change mostly results from fossil fuel use. In Ohio, most of our electricity comes from fossil fuels, with roughly 40% coming from fracked gas.
At the last hearing, I noted that more than 50 municipalities in Ohio have passed moratoriums on data centers. That number has now grown to 98 moratoriums, and 1 ban. If Columbus leadership doesn’t want to look to other Ohio cities for inspiration, why not look to the biggest city in the Midwest? On August 11, the Chicago mayor signed an executive order establishing a temporary moratorium on new data centers and the material expansion of existing facilities.
While I appreciate the Committee’s work on this issue, there is much more work that must be done still. Why rush to advance these policies, rather than slowing down the process to ensure this is done right? A coordinated effort across City departments is something that Columbus desperately needs. Additionally, I hope that policy proposal drafts will be made available further in advance to the next hearing, giving me and others adequate time to review them and develop comment.
Dylan Buford, Columbus Resident
[Buford] Data shows that the average data center creates 25-150 long-term jobs. Compare that to Easton Town Center, which creates approximately 30,000 jobs. The average land use for a data center is 10 to 40 acres, however hyperscale data centers can reach up to 400 acres or more. A large AI data center can use up to 5 million gallons of water per day. Additionally, data centers lead to increases in the heat island. Data centers consume between 100 to 300 megawatts of power on average. That is the low end. In 2025 alone, we lost $1.6 billion in tax revenue, due to tax breaks given to data center companies. Finally, even the CEOs and researchers at these large AI companies are calling for greater regulation on its development, and in some cases, a complete pause in AI development.
I have a few questions that have come up as a result of the back and forth that we’ve heard today. First, how can we guarantee that residents won’t foot the bill for developments like the Home Road Plant and other increases in our infrastructure needs?
[Chair Wyche] First, I welcome you to submit your questions to us so that we can get you answers. On the Home Road Water Plant, the need for additional capacity is not solely driven by data centers. However, we understand that data centers have an outsized impact on our infrastructure. Ordinance 2560-2026 aims to address that. The reality is, we are expecting another million and a half people to move to the region. Keeping our capacity in check is more so around population growth, and less on the data center front. We continue to push Columbus Water & Power to find ways to offset costs from ratepayers as much as possible.
[Buford] I will ask one more question, and then I will submit the rest of them. What happens in five years when the construction is finished, and all of those jobs disappear? Where do those people get jobs? Where do we invest where those people can be employed?
[Chair Wyche] Trust me, it’s about diversifying the workforce we have, just in general. We have been pushing for the development of renewable energy projects in Ohio. We know how important it is to invest and reinvest in the workforce. There’s more work to be done to ensure that we are doing workforce development across the spectrum of industries that exist in our community.
[Buford] Thank you. I, like many others, require a side hustle to get by. For me, that is bartending. In that role, I’ve had the opportunity to chat with dozens of residents about data center projects, including construction workers employed at these developments. None of these people have voiced support for the continued, unrestricted development of data centers. Blue collar fields can be grown not through the development of data centers, but through investment in the construction of large-scale affordable housing and public transportation. The policy your constituents are asking for is clear, and I find it embarrassing that only one councilmember is present to hear our voices on the matter.
Closing Remarks
[Chair Wyche] As always, I appreciate everyone coming out and advocating on what they are looking for related to any policy or anything that the City of Columbus is trying to do. I am trying my best, folks. I have tried to hold as many hearings as possible to try to engage people in the legislative process. We’re continuing to try to bring folks along as we develop policies that we know will be beneficial for the City and the people that live here.
At the start of the hearing, my office received 21 pieces of written testimony that can be viewed by visiting my webpage at columbus.gov.
Again, if you did not get a chance to review the legislation and wanted to take some time to review it and provide feedback on what is there, we will happily continue to accept that as well. Please reach out to my Legislative Aide, Chelsea Golterman, or my Legislative Analyst, Emiliana Morales.
Thank you all for being here, and thank you to our friends at CTV for doing the hard work of trying to televise two hearings at the same time. Thank you, also, to Dr. Pruitt who took the time to really work behind the scenes to do research on these policies. More to come. We are still looking at our next hearing date being around the October 21 time date. Keep that on your radar so that you can join us again and follow the legislative process.
Written Testimony
Visit <https://bit.ly/WycheCBUSCityCouncil> to review all submitted testimony and presentations.
Adjournment
[Chair Wyche] 8:17 P.M.