Guernsey County Data Center, Lore City, Ohio

The county commissioners are against it and cannot stop it. Guernsey County has no countywide zoning, so the commissioners cannot approve or refuse a data center on private land; their only lever is a request for a property tax abatement. Commissioner Jack Marlin put their position anyway: "I would say the people have spoken. They're against data centers. We said we were against it. So I don't see how we come back from that."

Commissioner Bill Cowgill agreed: "If it were to be put on the ballot, it would probably not pass here by a large margin." Commissioner Dave Wilson made the wider point: "When you see a deal has been cut like that, and plus Ohio already has I believe it's 217 data centers, we don't see where it's a good value for Guernsey County." Smart Energy Partners, led by chief executive Rich Stokey, is advising a local estate agent, Jason Miller, on using 425 acres he controls for a data center. No site has been announced, though meeting minutes refer to development in the area of Cambridge municipal airport, and describe a closed loop system needing minimal water with behind-the-meter power generated from natural gas.

More than fifty residents have organised as Guernsey County and Ohio: Data Center Developments, co-led by Amy Kissinger and Geno Riley. They worry about farmland, green space and the water supply, particularly the Pleasant City aquifer, which the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has designated a sole source aquifer, meaning it is the only viable drinking water source for at least half the area's population; withdrawals from it need no EPA review and are governed by Ohio's reasonable use doctrine. Amy Kissinger was careful to say the group is not against the industry: "We understand that technology is advancing and that this is an industrial movement that is happening and needs to happen."